Authorities said nine South African and three Malawian peacekeepers were killed by M23 rebels.
At least 12 peacekeepers, including two from the UN peacekeeping force Monusco, were killed in fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), authorities said.
Congolese troops and peacekeepers have been fighting in recent days to stop an advance by M23 rebels in the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The three-year M23 rebellion in the mineral-rich east of Democratic Republic of Congo intensified in January with rebels seizing control of more territory, prompting the United Nations to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.
As of Friday, nine South African soldiers had been killed in clashes with M23 rebels, the South African armed forces said in a statement on Saturday.
Two South Africans deployed with the UN peacekeeping mission and seven others in the South African regional bloc in the Democratic Republic of Congo were killed in two days of fierce fighting, it said.
“The members waged a courageous battle to prevent the rebels from proceeding to Goma as they intended,” it said, adding that the M23 had been pushed back.
A U.N. official who spoke to the Associated Press news agency confirmed the deaths of two U.N. soldiers.
The peacekeepers were killed on Friday, the UN official told the agency on condition of anonymity.
Malawi’s military spokesman confirmed that three of its peacekeepers with the SADC mission had been killed in battle with M23 rebels.
“We confirm the loss of three of our brave soldiers who were part of the SADC mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said spokesman Emmanuel Mlelemba, referring to the Southern African Development Community’s SAMIDRC mission.
“These soldiers died in the line of duty during an encounter with the M23 Rebel Group operating in eastern DRC. As the situation remains volatile, further details will be shared later,” he added.
M23 or the March 23 Movement is an armed group made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than 10 years ago. Since its revival in 2022, M23 has continued to gain space in the eastern DRC.
The DRC and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and weapons – something Rwanda denies.
UN to relocate non-essential personnel
M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the eastern city of Goma, home to about two million people and a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
The United Nations said it was temporarily relocating Goma’s non-essential personnel such as administrative staff.
“Essential personnel remain on site, maintaining critical operations such as food distribution, medical support, shelter and protection for vulnerable communities,” the UN statement said.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups struggling to gain a foothold in mineral-rich eastern DRC bordering Rwanda in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Since 1998, around six million people have been killed, while around seven million have been internally displaced.
More than 237,000 people have been displaced by fighting in eastern Congo since the start of this year, the United Nations refugee agency said in a report on Monday.
On Thursday, M23 took control of the town of Sake, just 27 km west of Goma and one of the last main routes to the provincial capital still under state control, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
