GOMA, DR Congo, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Intense gunfire and artillery fire shook the western neighborhoods of Goma overnight from Friday to Saturday, plunging the city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into panic, according to local sources.

Residents in the Keshero and Lac-Vert districts reported heavy shooting and explosions beginning around 10 p.m. local time on Friday. The barrage continued for several hours, prompting civilians to flee or seek shelter indoors.

A tense calm returned on Saturday morning, but no official casualty figures were released as of midday.

According to local media, the fighting involved March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, who have controlled Goma since January, and armed factions believed to be affiliated with the pro-government Wazalendo militias and the DRC armed forces (FARDC).

In a broadcast aired by the local branch of the Congolese National Radio and Television, the M23 accused the FARDC-Wazalendo coalition of launching coordinated attacks on its positions during the night.

Since seizing Goma in late January, the M23 has established a parallel administration in the provincial capital of North Kivu. Hostilities have continued to flare across the province, a volatile region at the heart of eastern DRC's long-running conflict.

The United Nations estimates that roughly one million people, including some 400,000 children, have been newly displaced since late January across North and South Kivu provinces, as heavy fighting continues between government forces and armed groups vying for control. Enditem

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