ADF rebels launch attack in Congo's Beni city

Heavily armed Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) launched an attack on Thursday in the city of Beni, North Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), said local security sources.

The attack was launched a few metres from the city's commercial center as the attackers and government soldiers exchanged gunfire, sources told Xinhua news agency.

Military and civilian sources have not yet reported a death toll, but civilians have fled en masse to escape the fighting that involved heavy weaponry.

The attack came as US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley arrived this morning in the city of Goma, the capital of the same province of North Kivu, which has been plagued by various armed groups for decades.

A few weeks ago, ADF rebels attacked two regular army positions on the Mbau-Kamango axis where more than 30 civilians were killed and two UN peacekeepers were killed.

--IANS

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