DR CONGO REBELS TAKE EASTERN TOWN

Gen. Laurent Nkunda

The Democratic Republic of Congo's army is moving reinforcements to an eastern town captured by fighters loyal to the renegade general, Laurent Nkunda.

 

Military vehicles are taking hundreds of government soldiers armed with rocket launchers towards Nyanzale, about 100km (62 miles) north of Goma.

 

The Congolese military base there was abandoned following the rebel attack.

 

Most of the town's 40,000 population has fled. The UN said the rebels had also attacked three nearby villages.

 

There are no reports of civilian casualties but medical sources told the AFP news agency that several wounded government soldiers were in nearby hospitals.

Hitting hard

The three villages are close to the rebel stronghold of Laurent Nkunda, a Tutsi rebel leader.

 

He claims he is defending his own community against Rwandan Hutu rebels responsible for the Rwandan genocide in 1994, who have been roaming the east of DR Congo ever since.

 

But the elected Congolese government has made a commitment to flush out the Rwandan Hutu rebels, and says Mr Nkunda and his 6,000-8,000 men should also lay down their arms.

 

In recent days, DR Congo's army officials said they were preparing an offensive against Mr Nkunda's rebels. But the rebels have hit first and hard.