Rebels force residents out of districts in Malange

UNITA rebels are reportedly forcing residents out of the northeast districts of Malange and transfering them to the surrounding bush in the wake of recent fighting in the area, Lusa said on Tuesday. A local traditional leader, Domingos Manuel, was quoted as saying that UNITA had on Thursday begun shifting several thousand people and allegedly planned to use them as human shields in case of government attack. Residents were being forced to move to the banks of the Luhossa River and 50 km beyond to the Kimbungo region, he added. The diamond-rich Cambosunjinge region about 90 km northeast of Malange has been in rebel hands since 1992. Refugees were quoted by Lusa as saying that UNITA and government forces had been engaged in intense fighting for control of the area since 21 November. More than 2,000 refugees arrived at the weekend in Malange, most of them coming from Malange provincial districts recently liberated from rebel control, among them the Caombo district.