Eight UN soldiers have been injured following fresh clashes between government forces and M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to UN mission commander Bintou Keita, one of the peacekeepers was "gravely wounded" in Saturday's attack in Sake.

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC residents 

The key town is located 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Goma, the seat of North Kivu province. According to witnesses, combat began on Saturday following several days of relative calm.

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According to a Congolese security source, two M23 mortars landed on the UN forces' camp in Sake's Mubambiro area, wounding them.

M23 was bombarding the town after a "patriotic" group known as "Wazalendo" that supports the army attacked the rebels, according to the source.

The Tutsi-led M23 (March 23 Movement) started a new onslaught two weeks ago against multiple towns 70 kilometers from Goma, expanding its influence northward into Rutshuru and Masisi region.

Keita, the UN secretary general's special representative in the DRC, said that forces have been deployed in North Kivu for several weeks under Operation Springbok, where the army and peacekeepers "are executing out.

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC residents fleeing 

The province's army spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Ndjike, accused Rwandan soldiers of targeting the UN post at Sake during the hostilities.

The 15,000 UN troops stationed in the DRC began to withdraw at the end of February at the request of the Kinshasa government, which believes they are ineffectual. The withdrawal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

After eight years of dormancy, the M23 insurrection resumed operations in late 2021, conquering significant swaths of North Kivu and cutting off all land access to Goma except the Rwandan border road in early February.

According to Kinshasa, the UN and Western countries bordering Rwanda support the M23, which Kigali denies.