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            Clashes Continue in Eastern DRC Ahead of UN Chief Visit

   by VOA News

   Soldiers have clashed with rebels for a second day in the eastern
   Democratic Republic of Congo, before a scheduled visit by U.N.
   Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
   Tuesday's fighting between the army and rebel group M23 was again
   centered around Mutaho, just 12 kilometers north of the city of Goma.
   ''A DRC government spokesman, Lambert Mende, said 15 rebels and four
   army soldiers have been killed in the fighting.
   Speaking in Mozambique, the U.N. secretary-general said he will travel
   to Goma on Thursday, as part of a trip through the Great Lakes region
   to promote peace and development in the DRC.
   At a news conference, Ban called for faster deployment of a U.N.
   "intervention brigade" to battle armed groups in eastern Congo.  He
   also said ensuring that people are well-fed and educated is crucial to
   stabilizing the region.
   Residents of Congo's North Kivu province have endured years of fighting
   between the army and various rebel groups who mostly seek to control
   the region's mineral wealth. M23 briefly captured Goma last November
   before withdrawing under intense international pressure.
   Ban is due to visit Congo, Rwanda and Uganda and meet with the
   presidents of all three countries during a three-day trip that begins
   in Kinshasa on Wednesday.
   He will be accompanied on the trip by the chief U.N. envoy to the Great
   Lakes, Mary Robinson, and the president of the World Bank.
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   -on-ban-ki-moon-visit/1665238.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/clashes-continue-in-eastern-drc-ahead-on-ban-ki-moon-visit/1665238.html