GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s President Joseph Kabila issued a statement saying that he was immediately suspending the chief of staff of Congo’s army following the publication of a United Nations report, which alleges that Gen. Gabriel Amisi has overseen a criminal network selling arms to rebel groups.

Earlier this week, an eight-month-old rebel group seized the important, eastern city of Goma in a humiliating defeat to Congo’s government. The M23 rebels are threatening to push onward to Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, located to the south of Goma. On Thursday, the Congolese military fought back, engaging the rebels in Sake, around 25 kilometers (15 miles) outside of Goma.

M23 is widely believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, and the clashes have raised the specter of another regional war.