Rutshuru

Heavy shelling broke out for an hour on Thursday around Rutshuru in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, provoking panic and flight by local residents while the defence minister was in town. Rutshuru has been tense since rebel soldiers loyal to a renegade army general briefly took control of it on January 20.

A United Nations team set off on Tuesday for the town of Kanyabayonga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to investigate two days of fighting there between the DRC army and dissident troops, a UN official said. Kanyabayonga was the scene of clashes on Sunday and Monday between government forces and army rebels.