MONDAY, 5.00PM
The four-month-old civil war in the Congo took a turn for the worse at the weekend, with the fighting spilling over from the capital Brazzaville to the nearby oil port of Pointe Noire and reports that Angolan trrops have entered the fray.
On Monday morning troops loyal to President Pascal Lissouba began helicopter rocket attacks on positions occupied by former dictator Denis Sassou Nguesso, whose Cobra militia took control of the international airport on Friday. The helicopter attacks lasted for two hours.
Meanwhile, the situation around Pointe Noire, which borders the oil-rich Angolan enclave of Cabinda, is unclear, with the governments of Congo and Angola accusing one another of aggressive moves. Congolese military command at the weekend accused Angolan troops of invading from Cabinda. Lissouba’s forces said the invaders were subsequently repulsed, but Luanda meanwhile accused Congo of attacking Angolan territory.
Unconfirmed reports say about 1 000 Angolan troops backed by armour attacked Dolisie, 100km from Pointe Noire. The action is described as supporting Sassou Nguesso by cutting Lissouba’s soldiers off from Loudima, a strategic town in the economically important region 400km from Brazzaville.
On Sunday, Congolese prime minister Bernard Kolelas said Congolese troops had intercepted a column of Angolan soldiers in the south-west en route to Dolisie, and said he will lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council.
While the Angolan government reportedly supports Sassou Nguesso, other reports say Angolan rebel movement Unita is supporting Lissouba’s troops. Meanwhile, France, which has a major oil stake in Congo, has been accused of backing Sassou Nguesso in his war against Lissouba. Lissouba’s claim against France could lie behind the detention of about 12 French expatriates, who have been prevented from leaving Dolisie.