Congo rebels close on key city

GOMA, Congo — A rebel group believed to be backed by Rwanda advanced to within three kilometres of Goma, a crucial provincial capital in eastern Congo, marking the first time that rebels have come this close since 2008.

Congolese army spokesman Col. Olivier Hamuli said the fighting has been going on since 6 a.m.

After more than nine hours of violent clashes, the two sides took a break just after 3 p.m., with M23 rebels establishing a checkpoint just 100 metres away from one held by the military in the village of Munigi, three kilometres outside Goma city limits.

M23 spokesman Col. Vianney Kazarama initially said the rebels would spend the night in Goma.

In the afternoon after the fighting stopped, he said, “We can take Goma easily now, we have pushed the Congolese army back over 10 kilometres in one day.”

“We are confident that we can take Goma and then our next step will be to take Bukavu,” he said, referring to the capital of the next province to the south.

The M23 rebel group is made up of soldiers from a now-defunct rebel army, the National Congress for the Defence of the People, or CNDP, a group madeup primarily of fighters from the Tutsi ethnic group.