Ugandan troops battle Rwanda backed RCD in Kisangani

Kisangani was reported calm, but uneasy on Monday after a weekend in which eyewitnesses said at least 14 people died in fighting between Ugandan army forces backing the Kisangani-based faction of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) and the mainstream RCD-Goma. On Sunday morning the commanders of the Ugandan and Rwandan forces - Commander James Kazini, heading the Ugandan troops who support Wamba's rebel faction, and Rwandan Commander Patrick Nyanvumba, whose men support rival leader Emile Ilunga met in an effort to restore calm and appeared to have ordered both groups to stop firing, news agencies reported. It was not clear who controlled the town afterwards though Kazini told 'Radio Liberty' on Sunday he was in charge, according to a press statement by the rival RCD-Goma. RCD-Goma reported to disrupt Lusaka "explanation tour'" The fighting broke out on Saturday - with clashes for control of the city centre and one of two airports - after RCD-Goma had disrupted a "tour of explanation" around Kisangani to brief the public on the Lusaka agreement, according to RCD-Kisangani spokesman Sessanga Ipongo, quoted by Radio France Internationale. The clashes were reported by media sources on Monday as an attempt by RCD-Goma to prevent a Zambian delegation from visiting Kisangani to gauge the level of popular support for Wamba dia Wamba. The gun battle closed both of Kisangani's airports and prevented the Zambians from flying in, Reuters news agency reported. Security Council authorises deployment of military liaison group The UN Security Council on Friday voted unanimously to authorise the deployment for three months of up to 90 UN military liaison personnel, together with necessary civilian, political, humanitarian and administrative staff, to the Joint Military Commission (JMC) established to supervise the Lusaka ceasefire agreement. The group's mandate is to assist the JMC in developing modalities to implement the ceasefire agreement, provide technical assistance, get assurances of security for any military observers that might be deployed and propose any further role the UN could play once the RCD signs up to the Lusaka accord, a UN release stated. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan,said he was also prepared to recommend a further deployment of up to 500 military observers within DRC and, as required, to other combatant and neighbouring states. Goma rebels "ready to respond" to alleged Ugandan provocation In an RCD statement received by IRIN on Monday, the first vice president and chief military commander, Jean-Pierre Ondekane said Uganda's actions in Kisangani, proved "the will of the Ugandan Army to artificially create a political space for Wamba dia Wamba, former RCD President" and was "a serious provocation against RCD." Ondekane said the RCD (Goma) had previously responded to several "provocations" from Kampala - disarming Ugandan-backed Wamba troops in Beni, Butembo and Bunia and rejecting Uganda's creation of a new province, Kibali-Ituri - and warned national and international opinion that RCD forces "are now ready to respond to any new provocation." Zambian delegation holds that Congolese want peace The Zambian delegation - who had travelled to eastern DRC to assess the rebel split, among other things - returned to Lusaka with the firm message that the Congolese people wanted peace, Zambian Minister for Presidential Affairs Eric Silwamba stated. "I have been in Goma and Kisangani, where I met political leaders. The message is the same everywhere: Congolese people want peace," RNA quoted Silwamba as saying. "I will report to President Frederick Chiluba what I have seen during this trip. I will also submit all RCD texts relating to Wamba's removal. Then my President will draw due conclusions." Silwamba also said he had not had any special mission" to meet Wamba, who he failed to meet due to the situation in Kisangani. Mbeki attempts to give new impetus to Lusaka peace process Meanwhile, talks are taking place at an "undisclosed" venue in South Africa between President Thabo Mbeki and Presidents Benjamin Mkapa, Yoweri Museveni and Pasteur Bizimungu of Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, news organisations reported on Monday. "This meeting is part of a diplomatic effort to end the more than 10-month war in the DRC," the BBC quoted Mbeki's spokesman as saying. Feeding operation for Angolan refugees plagued by transport problems Poor road conditions and the number of military roadblocks are pushing WFP into using rail transport in order to get food for general and special feeding programmes from Lubumbashi to Kisenge for over 40,000 Angolan refugees in Katanga province, but a scarcity of wagons is causing frequent delays in food dispatches and disrupting planned distributions. The number of Angolan refugees in Katanga numbered 42,990 as of Thursday last, with 24,320 in Kisenge, 14,990 in Divuma and 13,670 in Tshimbulumbulu, according to an emergency report by the agency received by IRIN on Monday. In July, WFP established a new delivery point for Bas-Congo to avoid delays in food dispatches for some 9,000 Angolan refugee camps in Kilueka camp. Meanwhile, poor road conditions have made access to about 4,000 additional refugees accommodated by host families in Bandundu difficult, the report added. Sudan denies bombing rebel-held towns The Sudanese military spokesman, Mohamed Osman Yassin, on Saturday denied a DRC rebel claim that Sudanese military aircraft were helping President Laurent Kabila in his war against them. "These are false allegations that are part of a plot for finding excuses for an act of aggression against Sudan," AFP quoted him as saying. He accused Uganda of a "false charge" and said it was "massing its troops in the Equatoria region inside Sudanese territories". Yassin was reacting to allegations by the leader of the Congolese rebel Mouvement de liberation congolais (MLC), Jean Pierre Bemba, that two Sudanese Antonovs last Wednesday dropped 18 bombs on the towns of Makanza and Bogbonga, killing over 500 people. Bemba told IRIN on Monday that there was calm in the two towns, but claimed that Congolese government troops were shelling Makanza. The MLC leader - who last week signed the Lusaka peace accord - said he had not received any reply from the mediator of the DRC peace process, Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, on the course of action he should take following the bombings.