Several killed in eastern DRC fighting

{{At least four people have been killed in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising the death toll to seven since clashes between M23 rebels and government forces backed by UN troops started several days ago, witnesses say.}}

Local Journalists on ground saw four bodies – a woman and three children – and a resident of Ndosho named Charles Paluku told media that a shell had landed in the area.

The victims of Saturday’s fighting were killed by shells fired by M23 rebels.
Three UN peacekeepers were wounded by shells that landed near their positions, the UN said, charging that its troops had been targeted by the rebels.

Much of the fighting has concentrated in and around Goma, a key city in North Kivu province.

Mary Robinson, the UN envoy to the African Great Lakes region, condemned the violence, saying in a statement: “The attacks on the town of Goma as well as on MONUSCO forces, and their tragic consequences on the civilian population already traumatised by two decades of conflict, are unacceptable.”

“We must do everything to avoid an escalation of tension in the region,” she said.

{aljazeera}