/ 21 November 2000

RIVAL REBEL GROUPS CLASH IN CONGO

TWO rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, normally loose allies in a war against President Laurent Kabila, turned their guns on each other over the weekend in a remote northern town. Rebel officials said troops from the Rwandan-backed Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) and the Ugandan-backed Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) briefly exchanged fire near Banalia, 110km north of the regional capital, Kisangani. But leaders from both sides downplayed the clash, calling the firefight a minor, isolated incident. – Reuters