GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo's M23 rebels clashed with government troops on Friday near the eastern city of Goma, a rebel leader said, in the first heavy fighting in the region in nearly two months.
The clash came days after peace talks broke down in the Ugandan capital Kampala, where the Congolese government said it had refused the demands of the 20-month-old rebel movement for an amnesty for its leaders and its reintegration into the army.
M23 says it has no desire to rejoin the Congolese forces.
General Sultani Makenga, M23's military commander, said the rebels came under attack at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Friday at Kanyamohoro, around 15 km (10 miles) north of Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We are going to defend our positions," Makenga told Reuters by telephone.
An army spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
The United Nations mission in Congo (MONUSCO) is reviewing the situation on the ground before deciding whether to help the army in its operations, MONUSCO spokesperson Sy Koumbo said.
A Reuters reporter in Goma said the fighting was intense and continuous on Friday morning as Congolese army troops bombarded rebel positions with heavy artillery.
South African and Tanzanian troops, part of a new U.N. Intervention Brigade with a tough mandate to crush armed groups, were present near the frontline but did not join the combat.
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