Violence continues in northeast DR of Congo as rebels vie for Bunia - UN

Violence erupted again in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as Lendu militia, who were driven out of Bunia yesterday by rival Hema fighters, have regrouped and launched a counter-offensive to regain control of the town, the United Nations said today.

Fighting was taking place within 500 metres of the UN headquarters compound in Bunia, while at the airport, where the UN also has a base, mortar fire was reported, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said in New York.

Bunia, in the volatile, gold-rich Ituri Province, has been the scene of bloody violence for months. The warring Hema and Lendu - vying for control of the town in the wake of the withdrawal of Ugandan troops - have clashed repeatedly.

Mr. Eckhard said staff from the UN Organization in the Mission in the DRC (MONUC) were particularly concerned about the welfare of some 8,000 civilians that have taken refuge at both UN locations. "I cannot confirm a wire service report that a woman in the headquarters compound was killed by a stray bullet," he said. "UN soldiers, however, in limited patrols of the town, spotted at least 40 bodies in the streets."

On his arrival this morning at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that France had indicated its willingness, in principle, to participate in an international force to be sent to the DRC to calm the situation, provided it has a clear Security Council mandate and other governments join in.

"So we are in touch with other governments, trying to see if they will join France in such an effort," Mr Annan said.

The Secretary-General added that he had been in touch this morning with President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who is talking to other leaders in the region about how to respond to the crisis in the DRC, and that he had also asked the Ugandan Government to use its influence in the region "to ensure that the militia and the people in the region restrain themselves."

Last week, the Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, warned that although nearly 700 UN troops had been deployed to Bunia, without decisive action, the situation might spin out of control, leading possibly to the massive killing of civilians.