New fighting breaks out in Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving thousands homeless

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-09-2008 18:08

New fighting has broken out in the Democratic Republic of Congo near Kibati village, about 10 kilometers north of Goma city. Thousands of civilians have been left homeless. And their lives are being threatened, as limited numbers of peacekeepers are stretched thinly across the country.

A child covers himself from the rain while  standing roadside at the entrance to a camp for  Internally Displaced People on the outskirts of  the provincial city of Goma.(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)

Government soldiers advanced toward rebel lines on Saturday, in renewed fighting that threatens a tenuous ceasefire around the eastern provincial capital Goma.

The fight broke out in Kibati - a village flooded last week by more than 50-thousand civilians fleeing the fighting. Half the houses appear deserted as thousands of people fled to a camp for internally displaced people in the area.

Thousands of others were on the move again on Saturday. Some have been on the run for weeks, carrying bundles of belongings, children and goats as they try to keep ahead of the violence.