MLC denies presence of UNITA troops

The rebel Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) of Jean-Pierre Bemba has denied that rebel Angolan UNITA troops are fighting alongside its forces. In a statement, send to IRIN on Tuesday, it described the allegations as “subterfuge” by DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila. The statement accused Kabila of trying to “internationalise” the conflict and invited Angola to send observers to the area to verify on the ground that there were no UNITA troops. The statement also said there had been violent clashes in Makanza and Basankusu in northwest DRC on Saturday. The MLC claimed it repulsed the attacking forces of Kabila, “many of whom drowned” in the nearby Congo river. People are fleeing the areas of Dongo, Makanza and Basankusu, the statement said. The statement reiterated that the MLC “is still bound by the Lusaka accord”, while reserving the right to respond to “ceasefire violations” by Kabila’s troops.