Congo - Army Shells Rebels - NYTimes.com The Democratic Republic of Congo's army shelled rebel positions near the eastern town of Goma on Monday in a second day of fierce fighting, and Rwanda and Congo traded accusations of aggression. The United Nations, which is deploying a 3,000-member Intervention Brigade with a mandate to enforce peace in eastern Congo, vowed to halt any rebel advance toward Goma. Congo repeated claims that Rwanda was backing the M23 rebels. Rwanda, meanwhile, accused Congolese and United Nations troops of deliberately shelling its territory. In November, the M23 rebels seized Goma, a city of one million people on the shore of Lake Kivu, but then pulled out. The rebel takeover prompted a drive for a regional peace deal and the creation of the new United Nations brigade. Peace talks have stalled, and each side blamed the other for initiating the hostilities on Sunday. An army official in eastern Congo said it was too early to give a precise estimate of casualties.