DR Congo army and M23 rebels clash near densely populated eastern towns
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00:00Congo's army said in a statement on Monday that M23 rebels and Rwanda had violated a
00:05ceasefire deal that has been in place in eastern DR Congo for weeks.
00:10The ceasefire came into effect on August 4th, after talks brokered by Angola between DR
00:15Congo and Rwanda took place, aiming to de-escalate the M23 conflict.
00:19Hopes for the deal were initially high.
00:21Congo's foreign minister herself praised the ceasefire as a positive step forward.
00:26But experts also expressed scepticism, pointing out that previous ceasefires in the three-year
00:31M23 conflict have fallen apart after only several weeks.
00:35On Sunday, the AFC, which is the M23's political arm, accused Congo of flying planes over M23-controlled
00:42territory, which it said violated the ceasefire.
00:45On Monday, the Congolese army responded by calling the accusation a lie that was designed
00:50to distract from M23 attacks which began on Sunday in Lubero territory in North Kivu.
00:56Whether fighting now escalates is unclear, but the hard-won ceasefire appears to be under
01:02threat.