Newly displaced Congolese prepare to spend the night in the small houses they build next to the Bulengo camp a few kilometres from the centre of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Feb 16, 2024. The conflict between M23 rebels and government forces has intensified in Masisi territory in recent weeks, causing many displaced people to move around Goma without shelter or food, leaving everything behind. (PHOTO / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS - M23 rebels resumed fighting over the weekend on the outskirts of Sake, a key town in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN spokesman said on Monday.

"The peacekeeping mission is reporting that after a brief lull in violence, there were renewed and intense clashes yesterday (Sunday) between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces, west of the town of Sake," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN mission remains deeply concerned by hostilities in eastern DRC and reiterates its call on the M23 to stop its offensive and to respect the Luanda Roadmap

Dujarric said that during the fighting, two rockets landed close to the UN peacekeeping base in Kimoka, about 4 km northwest of Sake. No casualties on the UN side were reported.

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The spokesman said the UN mission, known as MONUSCO, remains deeply concerned by hostilities in eastern DRC and reiterates its call on the M23 to stop its offensive and to respect the Luanda Roadmap.

"MONUSCO continues its protection efforts in the province, including by maintaining positions to defend civilians in Sake and Goma," the spokesman said.

The M23 is a well-armed, long-standing rebel group operating in the eastern DRC and reportedly supported by the DRC's eastern neighbor, Rwanda, which denies the allegations.

Sake is about 25 km northwest of the provincial capital of Goma and a critical link between the rest of the DRC and Goma, a commercial hub on the northwestern tip of Lake Kivu, close to the border with Rwanda, and long a target of rebel groups.

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Some analysts think M23 fighters are trying to capture Goma but don't know how they could keep it under their control for long because of its size.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates the population of the greater municipal area to be more than 2 million, with at least 500,000 displaced people.