Rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have retreated from areas they recently captured in clashes with government forces in North Kivu province.
The fighting displaced more than 100,000 people in the province, but local media report that many locals are now reportedly returning to their homes in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo areas.
A spokesperson for the M23 rebels, Major Willy Ngoma, has told the BBC that they have left those areas in order to make peace.
No official report on where they retreated to, but the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi reports that they went to positions close to the border with Rwanda. END
Meanwhile, Rwandan President Paul Kagame held a phone conversation with his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Félix Tshisekedi along with the African Union chairman Macky Sall amid cross-border tensions.
The Kinshasa government accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels in renewed fighting in eastern DR Congo – which the government in Kigali denies. END