Congo’s M23 rebels capture North Kivu town, U.N. peacekeepers wounded

Fighters from the M23 rebel group seized the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo on Saturday, residents and a local official said, effectively cutting North Kivu’s capital Goma off from the upper half of the province.
Three Kiwanja residents told Reuters that droves of fighters had entered the town without significant resistance after a short spat of gunfire on Saturday morning.
A U.N. intervention brigade, which has been supporting government forces, said in a statement that four peacekeers were wounded in the fighting. The statement did not comment on the fate of the town.
“Attacks against U.N. peacekeepers may constitute war crimes,” it said. “(The mission) calls on this rebel group to immediately cease all belligerence and warns that it stands ready to respond vigorously in the event of further aggression.”
The Congolese army contingent protecting the town had departed the previous day, residents said. The army has conducted strategic retreats from populated areas to move fighting away from towns and protect civilians.