(Reuters) -Nine South African soldiers have been killed in eastern Congo’s conflict zone, the South African defence department said on Saturday, as Congolese troops and peacekeepers battled to stop an advance by Rwanda-backed rebels on the city of Goma.
Democratic Republic of Congo and its allies earlier repelled an overnight advance on the provincial capital of over 1 million people, two army sources said. The sound of nearby heavy bombardment rocked the city in the early hours.
The three-year M23 insurgency in Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich east has intensified in January with rebels seizing control of more territory than ever before, prompting the U.N. to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.
As of Friday, two days of fierce fighting had killed two Southern Africans deployed with the U.N. peacekeeping mission and seven others in the Southern African regional bloc’s force in Congo, the South African National Defence Force said in a statement.
“The members put up a brave fight to prevent the rebels from proceeding to Goma as was their intention,” it said, adding that the M23 had been pushed back.
The deaths follow an escalation in hostilities that also led to the killing of North Kivu’s military governor on the front line this week.
The situation appeared calm in Goma on Saturday with people tentatively going about their business amid a heavy police presence, Reuters reporters there said.
The Congolese government and army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the fighting in the area.
The United Nations said on Saturday it had started temporarily relocating its non-essential staff from Goma due to the deteriorating security situation in the province.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FLEE
Congo, the U.N. and others accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the conflict with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this, but the surge in fighting has prompted renewed calls for it disengage.
“Rwanda must cease its support for the M23 and withdraw,” the European Union said in a statement on Saturday.
The Rwandan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The M23 briefly managed to take over Goma during a previous rebellion in 2012, prompting international donors to cut aid to Rwanda. Even then, the rebels did not hold as much ground as they do now.
The insecurity has also deepened eastern provinces’ already dire humanitarian situation with 400,000 more people forced to flee their homes this year alone, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
“The situation facing Goma’s civilians is becoming increasingly perilous and the humanitarian needs are enormous,” Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Monday to discuss the crisis.
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