Fighting rocks Brazzaville

Brazzaville was shaken by artillery and machine gun fire today (Friday), with some rounds falling across the river in Kinshasa, sources told IRIN. “It’s quiet now but they bombed people in some quarters here,” a humanitarian source said in Kinshasa. The shelling was directed from the centre of Brazzaville towards the southern districts of the city. At least six people were injured in Kinshasa from stray rounds, and the British embassy was hit.

Gunfire was heard throughout the night and into this morning in Brazzaville, humanitarian sources said. Ninja militia loyal to former prime minister Bernard Kolelas had re-infiltrated the southern Bacongo and Makelekele districts of the city, which government forces had reportedly cleared. The Ninja were described as lightly armed but numerous, and generally supported by the local population. Angolan troops, identified by their black uniforms, deployed tanks and multiple rocket launchers to drive them out, the sources added. The centre of Brazzaville was at a standstill today with shops and banks closed. The two southern districts were practically deserted except for people trying to recover their property.