UN denounces M23 rebel assault on DRC town as hundreds of people escape

The M23 rebel onslaught in the east of the country, which prompted 450 people, including women and children, to flee to the area near the UN peacekeeping mission's base in Kitshanga town, has been denounced by the DRC.

The mission, also known as MONUSCO, declared on Twitter on Thursday that "the M23 must cease all hostilities and depart from occupied territories, in accordance with the roadmap set forth in the Luanda mini-summit."

The rebels' latest effort, the Kitshanga assault, comes after they quickly overran the North Kivu province in eastern DRC in May, posing a danger to Goma, the provincial capital.

Regional tensions have increased as a result of the armed revolt, which the DRC blames on neighboring Rwanda for supporting and funding. Experts from the United Nations and the European Union have charged Rwanda with supporting the M23.

Any involvement has been refuted by the Rwandan government.

In an effort to stop the bloodshed that has caused at least 450,000 people to flee their homes, regional authorities mediated a deal in November that called on the rebels to leave newly captured sites by January 15.

However, according to a UN internal report, the rebels were breaking the ceasefire.

Two eyewitness claimed that the rebels had taken over the town of Kitshanga as they fled the area and gathered with the other refugees at the MONUSCO base.

A request for comment was not immediately answered by a representative for the army or the government of the DRC.

In a statement, the M23 claimed that it had a duty to step in to defend Tutsis in Kitshanga and other places.