President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila has sacked the chief of land forces over UN accusations he runs a huge arms smuggling network supplying several groups, including Congolese rebels, a spokesman said Thursday.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende told reporters in Kinshasa that the measure was temporary, pending a "thorough investigation" into General Gabriel Amisi's activities.

A report by the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo released this week accuses Amisi of overseeing a network that provides arms and ammunitions to armed groups and elephant poachers.

The sacking of one of DR Congo's top military leaders comes two days after the regular FARDC forces suffered a humiliating setback when the M23 rebel group drove them out of the main eastern city of Goma.

Among those Amisi is accused of selling arms to is the Mai-Mai Raia Mutomboki group, which is believed to be responsible for hundreds of deaths in recent months in eastern DR Congo and is thought in some instances to have allied itself with the M23.