Dozens of civilians were killed in resumed fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) , according to a BBC report monitored here on Friday.
The massacre was reported in the recent days of fighting between Tutsi rebels and the pro-government Mai Mai militia in Kiwanza, 75 km north of the provincial capital Goma in North Kivu province.
UN officials were verifying the reports of killing, BBC said.
The National Congress for the Defense of the People loyal to renegade Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda has recaptured Kiwanza afterthe Mai Mai militia claimed to take the town on Wednesday.
Nkunda, who declared a unilateral cease-fire on Oct. 29, accused the government army of backing the militiamen, resuming attacks in North Kivu province, where 250,000 people have been displaced in clashes since late last month.
The flare-up tends to spread to a dangerous extent, prompting a UN-backed African summit in Nairobi, Kenya, which was opened on Friday morning.
The summit hosted by the African Union brings together UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders from Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Africa.
More than 5 million people were killed during the back-to-back wars in DR Congo between 1996 and 2003, embroiling eight African countries in the Great Lakes region.
The Nairobi summit is part of efforts to rescue the peace process in DR Congo and to avoid a comeback of similar wars in the region.
Source: Xinhua
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