KINSHASA, May 21 (Reuters) - The Congolese army clashed with rebel fighters near the eastern city of Goma for a second day on Tuesday, threatening an uneasy six-month peace in the troubled region ahead of a scheduled visit by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week.
Government forces and the M23 insurgents exchanged heavy weapons fire from early on Tuesday, with both sides reporting an unspecified number of dead and accusing the other of starting the clashes.
"The M23 tried to overrun our positions and we're in the process of pushing them back," army spokesman Colonel Olivier Hamuli told Reuters. "We're very confident (of defending Goma)". (Reporting by Jonny Hogg; Editing by Daniel Flynn)
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