Fighting rages on in Kisangani

Fighting raged all over Kisangani on Friday, despite a ceasefire agreement by the Rwandan and Ugandan presidents on Thursday following a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "As we talk now fighting is going on," Major Ahmed Jamil, an officer with the UN mission (MONUC) in Kisangani told IRIN. "In the morning, it was limited to the eastern part of town but now it is all over the place." Uganda and Rwanda accused each other of violating the ceasefire arrangement. Ugandan officials told IRIN that the Rwandan army "violated the ceasefire immediately after it was agreed". Rwandan army Chief of Staff Brigadier Kayumba Nyamwasa told a news conference in Kigali that Uganda "violated the ceasefire a few hours after they asked for it". The OAU called for an immediate end to the "deplorable" and "unjustifiable" fighting between Ugandan and Rwandan troops. A statement by Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim said it was evident the fighting had contributed to the exacerbation of tension in the region.