Congo rebels hold eastern town, repel army--UN
Source: Reuters
(Adds rebel quote) By David Lewis KINSHASA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Congolese soldiers loyal to a renegade general took the eastern town of Sake on Sunday after a brief engagement with U.N. troops and clashes with the army that killed at least five and wounded dozens, U.N. officials said. The former Congolese army's 81st and 83rd Brigades attacked army positions at Sake with heavy weapons on Saturday, sending thousands of terrified civilians fleeing into the bush. The brigades are loyal to General Laurent Nkunda and refused to join a new integrated national army after the 1998-2003 war. Government troops launched a counter-attack early on Sunday but after heavy fighting involving small-arms fire, mortars and rocket propelled grenades, they failed to dislodge the rebels and withdrew, U.N. officials said. "This morning the 11th Integrated Brigade launched an attack on the 83rd Brigade. The attack failed and by 10.30 a.m. (0830 GMT) the government forces had abandoned Sake," said Major Ajay Dalal, spokesman for Indian peacekeepers in North Kivu province. The world body has its biggest peace force, known as MONUC, in Democratic Republic of Congo overseeing a peace process to end the war, which triggered a humanitarian disaster that has killed some 4 million people. The huge central African country has held its first free elections in over 40 years, but militia fighting goes on in the east, a former rebel chief is contesting his defeat in last month's presidential election and humanitarian workers say war-related violence, hunger and disease kill 1,200 every day. "The 81st and 83rd brigades have control of Sake and the surrounding hills. MONUC is also in Sake," said Dalal, who estimated 600-800 of Nkunda's troops were in and around Sake. Earlier U.N. attack helicopters fired warning shots and U.N. ground forces took up positions on the road to the area's main city Goma, 20 km (13 miles) away on the border with Rwanda, where some of Nkunda's men were seen headed. FIRING SUBSIDES "MONUC is trying to deploy the (army's) 11th and 9th brigades to prevent any further movement," Dalal said. "There is no firing in Sake for the moment and there are no reports of any further movements towards Goma." Another U.N. official in the area said that as of Sunday morning at least five people, three of them civilians, had been killed since fighting started on Saturday, and some 55 wounded, including 10 civilians. The official, who declined to be named, said more casualties were likely from Sunday's heavy clashes. "We pursued them, but they got reinforcements," Congolese Interior Minister Denis Kalume said. "The situation is confusing but the government soldiers are between Sake and Goma." A senior officer on the rebel side declined to give a death toll, but confirmed MONUC soldiers had opened fire in Sake after the surprise attack by government forces. "They attacked us in six positions at the same time this morning. They had a plan but, unfortunately for them, it doesn't seem to be working," the officer told Reuters. He said the rebel forces had no plans to move on Goma. "We had no plan to attack them -- we are just defending ourselves. We were surprised by this. We are going to wait to see what they do," the rebel officer said.
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