Congo rebels seize eastern town as army flees-UN

By Staff
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KINSHASA, Nov 26 (Reuters) Congolese soldiers loyal to a renegade general took the eastern town of Sake today after a brief engagement with UN troops and fighting with army forces which killed at least five and wounded dozens, the UN said.

The former Congolese army's 81st and 83rd Brigades, which are loyal to General Laurent Nkunda and refused to join a new integrated national army after a 1998-2003 war, attacked army positions at Sake with heavy weapons yesterday, sending thousands of terrified civilians fleeing into the bush.

Government troops launched a counter-attack early today but after heavy fighting involving small arms fire as well as mortars and rocket propelled grenades, they failed to dislodge the rebels and withdrew, UN officials said.

''This morning the 11th Integrated Brigade launched an attack on the 83rd Brigade. The attack failed and by 1400 hours the government forces had abandoned Sake,'' said Major Ajay Dalal, a spokesman for Indian peacekeepers stationed in Congo's North Kivu province as part of the world's biggest peace force, known as MONUC.

''The 81st and 83rd brigades have control of Sake and the surrounding hills. MONUC is also in Sake,'' said Dalal, who estimated there were 600-800 of Nkunda's troops in and around Sake.

Earlier UN attack helicopters fired warning shots and UN ground forces took up positions on the road to the area's main city Goma, 20 km 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 UN official in the area said that as of today morning at least five people, three civilians, had been killed since fighting started yesterday, and some 55 wounded, including 10 civilians.

The official, who declined to be named, said more casualties were likely from today's heavy clashes.

''We pursued them, but they got reinforcements,'' Congolese Interior Minister Denis Kalume told Reuters. ''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.

When asked if rebel forces planned to head to Goma, he said ''We didn't have that plan.'' Democratic Republic of Congo held its first free elections in over 40 years this year to complete a peace process ending the five-year war, which triggered a humanitarian disaster that has killed some 4 million people.

But militia fighting has continued in eastern districts, 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 Congolese every day.

Reuters KR RN2315

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