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Monday, November 25, 2013

900 people killed in the Battle of the Congo since May



900 people killed in the Battle of the Congo since May

 Fighting between the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ) and the M23 rebels killed more than 900 people in the volatile eastern region , before it was defeated guerrilla group , said a senior military official told AFP on Monday .

" Between May 20 and November 5 , 201 military personnel were killed and 680 injured . On the rebel side , 721 people were killed and 543 captured , including 72 people of Rwanda and Uganda 28 ," General Jean - Lucien Bahuma , a senior commander in the North Kivu region where the battle took place .

Three peacekeepers were also killed .

Rebels M23 , one of a number of armed groups operating in eastern DRC is rich in minerals but poor population , surpassed by the national army , backed by the UN's special intervention force strength of 3,000 people .

The UN has accused Uganda and Rwanda supports M23 . However , both countries denied .

Hope the achievement of a political agreement to end the insurgency last deadly mess in the eastern DRC on Nov. 12 when governments and M23 failed to sign a peace agreement .

M23 was founded by former Tutsi rebels integrated into the Congolese army in accordance with the peace treaty of 2009.

With complained that the agreement was never fully implemented , they did uprising in April 2012 and fought with their former colleagues .

The UN and rights groups have accused M23 crimes such as rape and murder during the conflict , which has made tens of thousands of people displaced .

MONUSCO , the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ) , is one of the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world which has more than 17,750 troops and military observers and 1,400 police . Pakistan is a major contributor to the troops .

The UN Security Council agreed in March to form a brigade of additional intervention which includes more than 2,500 soldiers in eastern DRC to confront armed groups such as the M23 .

Special Brigade , the first troops mandated offensive , composed of troops from South Africa , Malawi and Tanzania , AFP reported .

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