CONGO: Congo's bitter presidential rivals began discussions yesterday aimed at securing a second round of elections, a week after their troops turned the country's capital Kinshasa into a battleground.
Outgoing president Joseph Kabila did not meet directly with vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, whom he faces in a presidential run-off on October 29th. Both men sent delegates to the UN headquarters in the city centre, a few blocks away from the site of last Monday's biggest battle.
They have agreed to the setting up of two bipartisan commissions: one to examine the reasons behind last week's violence and another to prevent further violent outbreaks.
There were serious concerns, however, over 10 truckloads of ammunition moved from the port of Matadi to the capital at the end of last week by forces loyal to President Kabila. A UN source said there were signs that Mr Bemba's troops had also begun to rearm.
The UN mission in Congo has maintained a heavy presence in central Kinshasa, where the sight of its armoured personnel carriers is now commonplace. UN troops are also protecting Mr Bemba's home and several strategic buildings.
Mr Bemba failed to attend meetings on Saturday and yesterday, citing security concerns in the wake of the attack on his home last week. Several hundred presidential guards, loyal to Mr Kabila, were involved in that assault. There was concern that this may have been a serious attempt on Mr Bemba's life.
Thirty-eight fishermen, meanwhile, are still being detained by the presidential guard after they were arrested in a fishing village close to the troops' main camp in Kinshasa.
The detainees have been accused of helping Mr Bemba's militia move men and arms along the Congo river. A local human rights group has raised concerns about the welfare of those held.
Angolan troops, meanwhile, crossed over the border with DRC this week near their country's oil-rich Cabinda exclave where efforts are under way to end a 20-year war of secession.
A small number of people were killed but UN sources said it was not clear whether this was as a result of an operation by the Angolans against Cabindan separatists or a case of the troops preying on the public.