Key rebel town reportedly falls

Justice Minister Mwenze Kongolo met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala on Wednesday, and gave him a message from President Laurent-Desire Kabila, news organisations reported. Ugandan military sources told IRIN on Thursday they did not know the content of the message, but observers point out the visit came amid claims by the Ugandan state-owned ‘New Vision’ that Kabila’s troops had violated the ceasefire in Equateur province. According to the newspaper, the DRC army has reportedly captured Libanda, one of the frontline towns of Jean-Pierre Bemba’s rebel Mouvement de liberation congolais (MLC). The Zimbabwean army has made further claims of fighting in the Ikela region of Equateur province.

A Ugandan military official told IRIN he could not confirm the capture of Libanda since communications with such a remote area were difficult, but cited reports that Bemba had acknowledged losing the town to the Congolese army. With Bemba having declared to the Joint Military Commission (JMC) that Libanda was under his control, its seizure by Kabila’s forces would represent a significant violation of the Lusaka ceasefire for the JMC to investigate, the official added.