North Kivu destabilised by rebel infighting

Like other residents, Kambale was caught unawares immediately gunfire rocked Beni town and did not know where his mother and father plus two sisters had fled. He stayed away for two weeks until some calm returned to Beni town where he operates a kiosk.

Ordinarily Kambale is supposed to have completed his form two secondary education but this has not been possible because of war and insecurity in eastern Congo. "Whenever the school administration senses danger our school is closed. We are told to stay at home until we are called back. Things have been like this for three years and it's normal" Kambale says.

In this ailing town in North Kivu province, the tale of suffering and misery is a daily occurrence. The factional fighting broke out on 4 June between forces loyal to rival rebel leaders Mbusa Nyamwisi and Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Bemba was installed there under a merger deal between the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) and his Mouvement pour la liberation du Congo (MLC) to form the Front de liberation du Congo (FLC). But this deal is failing and may cause more factional fighting as rebel leaders compete for territorial control and autonomy.

The situation remains very uncertain. Mbusa is trying to consolidate control over the northern half of North Kivu province, and the erstwhile leader of the RCD-ML Ernest Wamba dia Wamba has remained defiant of any new political arrangements in the region.

Although he now lives in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam, Wamba still claims he is the legitimate president of the RCD-ML and has a number of his loyalists in Kampala who have refused to join Mbusa.

Today some calm has returned to Beni but residents fear that the situation could explode anytime unless the rebel leaders agree to work together.

Mbusa, who is heavily guarded, says he is confident of controlling the situation. He dismisses Wamba as a spent force and candidly refers to Bemba as a dictator.

"I think it is not wise to force anybody to work with us," he told IRIN. "We want to involve everybody so that whatever decisions we make are collective decisions. This will enable us avoid apportioning blame." He claims Bemba has mishandled the situation by failing to control the FLC army.

Bemba however dismisses the claim. "Mbusa is Congolese and is entitled to say what he wants but the problem is that some UPDF [Ugandan army] officers are interfering in the administration of Congo," Bemba told IRIN.

There are many surprises in this tense town. The airport at Enra has one dirt runway with no lights, yet it is very busy with both big and small aircraft landing and taking off with amazing frequency. On the dilapidated streets, motor cyclists provide the major means of transport. They shuttle up and down charging between 100 francs [US $0.1] and 3700 francs [US $15] depending on the distance.

Residents live in constant fear. Besides the RCD-ML internal wrangles, the Mayi-Mayi tribal militia, whose numbers have swollen over the last few months, continue to pose a serious threat. The lack of health services and education facilities are even more worrying. Most residents say they eat just one meal a day. There is no clean water and no power. Each morning residents wake up to walk long distances in search of firewood and water or food from the jungles, with very little chance of a reprieve.