Escalation reported in the north and east

Sources on both sides of the conflict in the DRC point to an escalation in the war there, according to media reports. In Harare, the daily ‘Herald’ reported today that the rebels had launched a major offensive on all sides and quoted the SADC (Southern African Development Community) Task Force as saying that the insurgents’ ultimate goal was to capture Gbadolite in the north, Mbuji Mayi in Kasai Oriental, Kamina and Lubumbashi in the south and finally Kinshasa. The SADC Task Force (Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe) said it was fighting the rebels along the River Congo, especially around Kabalo, and around Moba on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. In Uganda, the ‘New Vision’ newspaper yesterday (Monday) quoted rebel sources as saying that the DRC government and its allies had bombarded rebel-held towns in recent days. They said Zimbabwean fighter planes were bombing Nyunzu, Kabalo and Lubao (located between Lake Tanganyika and Mbuji Mayi) and Kibombo, further north, in a bid to stop the RCD from pushing forward to Mbuji Mayi after capturing Lubao in early February. Sources told the Ugandan paper that ex-FAR and Interahamwe led by a Col. Kayumba had been moved from Kamina airbase to Mbuji Mayi to beef up its defence. The paper also reported that there was heavy fighting around the government-held town of Businga, in northern DRC, as the Mouvement de liberation congolais (MLC) led by Jean-Pierre Bemba, fought to capture it. Many civilians have reportedly been fleeing the area.