The DRC authorities say a rebel boat was sunk and they insist they have control of the lake.

The fighting took place near to the lakeside city of Uvira.

Located near the Uganda border, it’s the second largest city in South Kivu province.

The rebels from the Mai-Mai Yakutumba militia attacked Congo government forces at the weekend Unrest has mounted across Congo since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down when his mandate expired last December.

Lake Tanganyika is hundreds of kilometers long. It also borders Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.

Mai-Mai Yakutumba, formed in 2007 by local militiamen opposed to integration in Congo’s national army, has well-established gold smuggling networks on the lake.

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221 people were rescued.

The boat packed with passengers and goods was travelling north from Kalemi in Katanga province to Uvira in South Kivu.

It is not yet clear why the boat capsized.

Katanga’s Transport Minister Laurent Kahozi Sumba says it appears the vessel was overloaded.

Deadly shipwrecks occur too frequently on Congolese rivers and lakes where too few life jackets are supplied, boats are loaded too heavily and many people cannot swim.

Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world.

In addition to the DRC is laps up against Tanzania, Burundi and Zambia.

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