M23's swift advance since January has seized eastern DRC's two largest cities, resulted in thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.

Southern and East Africa countries have made repeated diplomatic pushes to resolve the conflict amid fears it could spiral into a larger regional war.

The latest setback to those efforts came on Monday when the M23 rebels went back on a pledge to withdraw from the strategic town of Walikale and accused the DRC army of failing to halt its own offensive operations there.

The rebels and pro-government milita fighters known as Wazalendo battled on Tuesday in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, residents said.

In North Kivu, a second day of clashes raged near the banks of Lake Edward, which straddles the border between DRC and Uganda, said Muhindo Tafuteni, a local Civil Society Activist.

--Reuters--