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More Fighting in DRC City Ahead of Ban's Arrival


Rebels and army troops have clashed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a day before U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in the area.

Wednesday's fighting outside the city of Goma marks the third straight day of clashes between the Congolese army and rebel group M23.

Witnesses say an artillery round killed one person and injured three others Goma's Ndosho neighborhood. It was not clear which side fired the round.

Mr. Ban arrived in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, on Wednesday, at the start of a three-day trip aimed at promoting peace and development in eastern Congo.

After meeting with DRC President Joseph Kabila, the U.N. chief is due to visit Goma on Thursday, followed by stops in Rwanda and Uganda.



On Tuesday, Mr. Ban called for faster deployment of a U.N. "intervention brigade" that is authorized to combat the many militia and rebel groups active in the eastern DRC.

He also said the region needs to see more development before it can be stabilized.

The World Bank on Wednesday announced $1 billion in proposed funding to help Congo and other countries in Africa's Great Lakes region.

Nearly half the money is marked for hydroelectric projects that would supply power for Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. Another $165 million would be directed toward building roads in three eastern DRC provinces.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is traveling with Mr. Ban on his Great Lakes trip, as is the U.N. envoy to the region, Mary Robinson.
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