Congolese army tries to repel Rwanda-backed rebels in fighting that has killed some 700 people – National [Video]

A weakened Congolese military fought back against Rwanda-backed rebels who the U.N. said were moving fast into the South Kivu province after seizing the region’s largest city and an international airport. The crisis, which the U.N. said killed 700 people this week, puts a second regional airport at risk.

As the fighting raged on with the M23 rebels Saturday, the Congolese army recaptured the villages of Sanzi, Muganzo and Mukwidja in South Kivu’s Kalehe territory, which had fallen to the rebels earlier this week, according to two civil society officials. who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity over fear for their safety.

The central African nation’s military has been weakened after it lost hundreds of troops and foreign mercenaries surrendered to the rebels after the fall of Goma.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix, meanwhile, said the M23 and Rwandan forces were about 60 kilometers (37 miles) …