Angola To Deploy Troops To DR Congo

Angola says it will send a military unit to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

This comes days after a truce it brokered failed to end fighting.

Both sides in the conflict the M23 rebels and government troops have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire that began on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, an East African force was also recently deployed to the area, which is rich in minerals and has dozens of militias.

The UN says the conflict forced 300,000 people from their homes last month.

This happened in North-Kivu province, which borders Rwanda and Uganda and is a fertile and mountainous area long plundered by rival groups.

Report says there is increasing concern about the humanitarian crisis caused by the fighting, which was still ongoing on Friday.

The European Union has just started an operation to fly in aid to the regional capital, Goma, saying humanitarian agencies have become overwhelmed.

A statement from the Angolan president’s office said the soldiers would be deployed to help secure areas that have been held by the M23 rebel group and to protect ceasefire monitors.

The rebels, who are widely reported to be backed by Rwanda, had just hours earlier said they would withdraw from several captured villages.

The Congolese government said they welcome the arrival of Angolan troops to help in the fight against the rebels.

However, there is a danger of this becoming a wider international conflict.

BBC/Christopher Ojilere