Heavy casualties as Congolese troops and UN forces battle M23 rebels in east, says doctor

Angry residents take to the streets to protest recent violence including mortar attacks that have struck homes and churches in the eastern provincial capital, killing at least seven civilians and wounding dozens of others, in Goma, Congo, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013. Congolese soldiers supported by U.N. forces fought rebels in the country's deteriorating east for hours early Saturday, officials said, while a deadly rocket landed inside the town of Goma. Congo immediately blamed the attacks on neighboring Rwanda, which has long been accused of supporting the eastern Congolese rebel movement known as M23. (AP / Joseph Kay)

GOMA, Congo -- A Congolese doctor says soldiers and rebel forces suffered heavy casualties over the weekend, as the international community expressed alarm over the escalating tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda.

Dr. Isaac Warwanamiza told The Associated Press that he had seen 82 dead since early Sunday, 23 of whom were government soldiers, the highest death toll reported since hostilities broke out last week.

The doctor said medical services were struggling to cope with the scale of the casualties among government troops and the M23 rebels who launched their rebellion last year.

The front line is only 9 miles (15 kilometres) north of Goma. M23 rebels briefly overtook the city late last year, and Congolese and U.N. troops have been battling to dislodge rebels from heights overlooking the city since Wednesday.