Militia checks Congolese rebel advance

A militia aligned with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has halted the advance of the M23 insurgent group in the mineral-rich eastern province of North Kivu after heavy fighting in the town of Sake on 22 November.

Several truckloads of M23 reinforcements armed with assault rifles and RPG-7s were seen moving up the road from the provincial capital Goma towards Sake, 25 km to the northwest, to join the fight against the Alliance des Patriotes pour un Congo Libre et Souverain (APCLS): a militia led by Janvier Karairi.

M23's modest setback at Sake came after it inflicted a defeat on the Congolese military (FARDC) and captured Goma, which is the main hub for exports to neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, both of which deny allegations by the UN group of experts on the DRC that they support the rebels.

In a statement, the United Nations mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) said about 3,000 M23 fighters launched an offensive on 15 November and used "overwhelming firepower" to defeat FARDC forces equipped with T-55 tanks and artillery two days later at Kirumba. The government forces abandoned Goma, allowing the rebels to occupy the city on 20 November.