OWN CORRESPONDENT, Kinshasa | Friday 11.30pm.
FIGHTING is on in earnest between Democratic Republic of Congo troops and rebels in the south-eastern province of Katanga.
President Laurent Kabila’s troops and their allies launched an attack with heavy weapons on rebel forces in the region of Kabalo and Nyunzu in the north of the province, according to sources from a private airline in the region.
The sources did not give the nationality of the allies fighting alongside Kabila’s troops. Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Chad have sent troops to prop up embattled DRC President Laurent Kabila.
After a mini-summit of the allies in Harare this week, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe declared that the war would be intensified, and an additional 2000 Zimbabwean troops were reportedly being rushed to the DRC at the same time.
Mugabe’s announcement surprised the remaining South African Development Community countries and other players in the DRC war, who were expecting to discuss solutions to the crisis at an SADC Defence and Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Lusaka set for Monday.
The sources in the DRC said several hundred people were killed in Friday’s offensive. Independent sources also spoke of fighting in the region. There has been no official confirmation.
* Meanwhile the DRC government has issued an international arrest warrant against rebels who downed a plane as it was approaching Kindu airport. The state-owned television announced in Kinshasa that the attorney general, Luhonge Kabinda Ngoy, has transmitted the warrant to the Interpol office in Kinshasa. The warrant says the perpetrators may be tried in the countries where they might be found or in the DRC following extradition.
The rebels claimed responsibility for the destruction of the Boeing 727, alleging that it was carrying arms and government soldiers. However, the owners of the plane, Congolese Airlines, said the aircraft was carrying 40 civilians. There were no survivors. — AFP