A total of 48 people have been killed till Tuesday in the renewed fighting that broke out last week in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to a spokesman for the United Nations mission in the DRC, MONUC, Wednesday, the fighting occurred when two armed groups tried to grab control of a gold mine in the region.

Talking about the situation in south Kivu and north Kivu provinces in eastern DRC, the spokesman said that the UN peacekeeping forces have sent a team there to hold talks with rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda.

Reports, which have not been confirmed, said Nkunda is recruiting children to fight for him and prepares to attack again the south Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu.

The troops of Nkunda took control of Bukavu between June 2 and 9 under the noses of hundreds of UN peacekeeping forces after they launched an attack on the city at the end of May.

Nkunda has denied the claims, saying he was loyal to the interim government of the DRC, said the MONUC spokesman, who addedthat Nkunda has received the warning that if he attacks Bukavu, the UN mission will take "relevant reaction" and the peacekeeping troops will fight anyone who tries to return to Bukavu by use of force.

Sourcve: Xinhua