The fighting between army groups and rebels in Congo [originaltext] (9)Army

(9)Army troops and rebels clashed on Wednesday in the violence-ridden eastern part of Congo, threatening to undermine an already fragile stability. Hundreds of people in North Kivu fled toward the city of Goma by road trying to escape the fighting. The sound of heavy artillery echoed through the hills. The Congolese army continued a second day offensive to recover the cities of Rugari and Rumangavo, and to takeover these positions held by the insurgency. Ronald Paul Veilleux, the International Rescue Committee’s provincial director for North and South Kivu, said that the situation was deteriorating because of the fighting between various groups.
     (10)The massive displacement has also led to an increase in gender-based violence. According to Veilleux, reported cases have gone up by 75% nationwide since April, and many go unreported in a nation that is already known as the rape capital of the world. In addition, this past week the World Health Organization reported a sharp increase in the number of cholera cases in North Kivu.