Move Bemba troops out of Kinshasa, Kabila tells UN
Source: Reuters
(Adds details, quotes) KINSHASA, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Congo President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday gave U.N. peacekeepers a 48-hour deadline to move an election rival's soldiers out of Kinshasa, or he would order the national army to do it, Congolese and U.N. officials said. They said the verbal ultimatum was given by Kabila to William Swing, the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo, during a meeting in the capital. It followed a riot at the Supreme Court on Tuesday by supporters of former rebel chief Jean-Pierre Bemba, who has challenged provisional election results showing Kabila defeated him in an Oct. 29 presidential run-off vote. Congolese officials accuse soldiers loyal to Bemba of opening fire during the riot, although Bemba's camp denies this. "Kabila gave Swing 48 hours to get Bemba's soldiers out of town or let the army do it," a U.N. official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "There was a clear message to Swing that the problem of Bemba's soldiers must be resolved," an official at the Congolese presidency said. He also asked not to be identified. As Congolese army troops guarded the streets of the tense riverside capital, foreign diplomats worked to try to defuse the situation and avoid a confrontation. The Oct. 29 run-off was the final stage of Congo's first free elections in more than 40 years. Since the first round was held on July 30, Kabila's and Bemba's soldiers have fought several gunbattles in the streets of Kinshasa.
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