New Gun Battle in Kinshasa Near Home of Vice President Bemba
22 August 2006
Rival factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo fought another gun battle in the capital Kinshasa Tuesday.
Gunfire was heard near the residence of Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, and European peacekeepers say supporters of Mr. Bemba exchanged fire with soldiers loyal to President Joseph Kabila. The two are rival candidates in Congo's presidential elections.
Their supporters have been shooting at each other since Sunday, when election officials said Mr. Bemba and Mr. Kabila will compete in a run-off election in two months (Oct. 29) following June's inconclusive first round.
On Monday, U.N. peacekeepers rescued a group of foreign diplomats from Mr. Bemba's villa after they were trapped by the fighting outside. U.N. forces have now positioned armored vehicles in front of the vice president's complex.
The foreign diplomats are members of an international committee overseeing Congo's first elections in four decades. They had been trying to arrange a meeting between the two presidential candidates.
Among those rescued from the fighting Monday was William Swing, the commander of the 17,000 U.N. troops in the country.
Congo's independent electoral commission said Sunday that neither Mr. Kabila nor Mr. Bemba won a majority in the July 30 election, and ordered a second round of voting on October 29.
Mr. Kabila won 45 percent of the vote in the first round, and has expressed confidence that he will gain an absolute majority in October. Mr. Bemba's supporters also are optimistic about their candidate's chances.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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