UN troops and Govt forces battle rebel militia

KINSHASA - Thousands of Congo Government soldiers and hundreds of UN peacekeepers battled ethnic militia fighters yesterday for control of an eastern town, the United Nations said.

UN peacekeepers backed up by helicopter gunships and mortar fire fought alongside the national army to retake control of Tchei, in Ituri district, where militia violence has killed 60,000 people since 1999.

"There is heavy fighting going on," said UN military spokesman Major Hans-Jakob Reichen. "The armed groups are trying to break the strangle[hold] that the joint forces have put around them. Our operation will not stop until the rule of law is established in the Tchei area."

The UN, long accused of doing little to stop fighting in Congo despite peace deals that officially ended a five-year war in 2003, has adopted a more robust approach in recent months, aiming to cut militia activity ahead of polls in June.

"There are quite a few Congolese soldiers wounded and a few have died," Reichen said, adding that one UN soldier had also been hurt though not by enemy fire.

- REUTERS