{{United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived on Thursday in Goma, eastern Congo, hours after a rebel group fighting government forces nearby said they would impose a cease-fire to allow the visit to proceed}}.<\/p>\n
The M23 rebels and the Congolese army began fighting three days ago just north of Goma, ending a nearly six-month-long truce.<\/p>\n
Last November the rebels handed both the government and the United Nations a humiliating blow when they succeeded in invading Goma, a city of roughly 1 million that is both strategically important and a major population center. <\/p>\n
The rebels retreated 10 days later after intense wrangling by the international community, including diplomatic pressure on Rwanda, which is accused of arming and financing the rebels.<\/p>\n
Rebel spokesman Amani Kabasha said by telephone that they had declared the cease-fire in order to not disturb Ban’s visit. <\/p>\n
“We will not fight today to allow Ban Ki-moon’s visit to successfully take place. We also want to give peace a chance and ask the government to come back to the negotiating table in Kampala,” he said.<\/p>\n
Ban arrived at Goma’s airport on Thursday morning, his second day in Congo after a visit Wednesday to the country’s distant capital, Kinshasa. There he met Congolese President Joseph Kabila, and promised that the international community would stand with Congo.<\/p>\n
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