- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
Rwanda-backed rebels, DRC begin two-week 'humanitarian truce'
A two-week humanitarian truce between Kinshasa and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels began on Friday in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-scarred east.
The United States announced the truce on Thursday, a day before it was due to begin, and expressed hope for a permanent ceasefire. The truce has not yet been publicly mentioned by anyone in DR Congo.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group which has seized swathes of eastern DR Congo in an ongoing offensive launched in 2021 -- something Kigali denies.
"The situation is calm," said an administrative official in the Masisi region, echoing residents of North Kivu province interviewed by AFP, particularly in the Lubero area, the scene of recent fighting.
"We pray to God that it stays that way," the official added.
The truce began at midnight local time on July 5 and will continue through July 19, the White House National Security Council announced Thursday.
Supported by the Congolese and Rwandan governments, the truce envisages the voluntary return of displaced persons and unhindered access for humanitarian personnel to vulnerable populations, it said.
The United States previously announced a "ceasefire" in December. It lasted about 10 days before fighting resumed after elections on December 20.
"The humanitarian situation in North Kivu is dire with close to three million displaced people in the province," it said.
"The recent expansion of fighting in North Kivu has prevented humanitarian workers from reaching hundreds of thousands of IDPs in the area around Kanyabayonga and displaced more than 100,000 people from their homes," it added.
The M23 have almost completely encircled Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, killing scores of people and displacing hundreds of thousands more.
Last week the rebels seized more territory on the northern front, causing further displacement.
There are already 2.8 million displaced people in North Kivu, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The European Union also praised the announcement on Friday.
"The EU praises efforts by the United States of America and strongly welcomes the commitment by both DRC and Rwanda, hoping this humanitarian truce will lead to a permanent ceasefire, and allow to build a sustainable political solution in the context of Luanda and Nairobi processes," it said.
DR Congo's mineral-rich east has been racked for 30 years by fighting between both local and foreign-based armed groups, going back to regional wars of the 1990s. backed
L.Harper--AMWN