DR CONGO – Not less than 26 people have been killed while many were displaced as government forces battle the rebel in Lubumbashi.

The rebels were beaten back on Tuesday morning after heavy fighting overnight.

The assault was launched by the Mai Mai Kata Katanga, a secessionist group in the region.

It is fighting for the independence of Katanga, the richest province in DR Congo.

According to reports, the group was led by Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga, who was freed during an attack by gunmen on Lubumbashi’s prison in September 2011.

The largest cobalt deposits in the world are in Katanga - and the province is the second biggest African provider of copper.

Lubumbashi police inspector-general Patrick Sadiki reported that the 26 dead included government soldiers and rebel fighters.

Businesses were shut and most people had stayed indoors on Tuesday, he said.

He added that government troops were patrolling Lubumbashi after pushing the rebels some 25km (15 miles) out of the city.