At least 12 peacekeepers, including two from the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO, have been killed in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), authorities said.<\/p>\n
Congolese troops and peacekeepers have been battling in recent days to stop an\u00a0advance\u00a0by M23 rebels on the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.<\/p>\n
The three-year M23 rebellion in Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s mineral-rich east has intensified in January with rebels seizing control of more territory, prompting the UN to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.<\/p>\n
As of Friday, nine South African soldiers had been killed in the clashes with M23 rebels, the South African armed forces said in a statement on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Two South Africans deployed with the UN peacekeeping mission and seven others in the Southern African regional bloc\u2019s force in DRC were killed over two days of fierce fighting, it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe members put up a brave fight to prevent the rebels from proceeding to Goma as was their intention,\u201d it said, adding that the M23 had been pushed back.<\/p>\n
An UN official, speaking to The Associated Press news agency, confirmed the death of two UN soldiers.<\/p>\n
The peacekeepers were killed on Friday, the UN official told the agency on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Malawi\u2019s military spokesman confirmed that three of its peacekeepers deployed with the SADC mission had been killed in fighting with M23 rebels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe confirm the loss of three of our courageous soldiers who were part of the SADC Mission in the DRC,\u201d spokesperson Emmanuel Mlelemba said, referring to the South African Development Community\u2019s SAMIDRC mission.<\/p>\n