Violence rages in DR Congo

Heavy gunfire in the Democratic Republic of Congo - as a wave of fresh fighting sweeps across the central African country.

Violence has erupted in recent weeks after hundreds of troops defected from the army complaining of low wages and poor living conditions.

They've joined forces with Bosco Ntaganda - a rebel leader wanted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly using child soldiers among other crimes.

The government said 25 mutineers loyal to the renegade general were killed on Monday.

The fighters died while attempting an assault on a town in North Kivu Province.

The rebels are thought to be fighting with support from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which also stands accused of committing human rights violations in Congo over the past 15 years.

The possibility that Ntaganda is fighting alongside the Rwandan group is the latest twist in a complex and ever-shifting web of alliances in eastern Congo.

Travis Brecher, Reuters