Twelve members of an armed group died in a clash with UN peacekeepers and government troops in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR), the authorities said on Tuesday.

The fighting erupted on Sunday after the Popular Front for the Renaissance of Central Africa (FPRC) entered the flashpoint town of Birao before being repelled, government spokesman Ange-Maxime Kazagui said in a statement, adding: "The toll is 12 dead on the FPRC's side."