Brutal ethnic violence has flared in a remote corner of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the country prepares to bury its assassinated president, Laurent Kabila, today in the capital, Kinshasa.
About 200 people were killed, some beheaded or burned alive, in an outbreak of tribal scoresettling near the Ugandan border, UN aid workers reported. Gangs of machete-wielding youths from the Hema tribe attacked rival Lendu civilians over the weekend in revenge for a Lendu attack on Friday.
"Heads were cut off and circulated around town in vehicles," said the leader of the Ugandan-backed rebel movement which controls the area. "Bodies were thrown in pit latrines. Houses were burned down and in one instance 25 people were burned alive."
The ethnic clashes are unrelated to the Kabila shooting but highlight how the chaos of the 2-1/2-year war has created a dangerous power vacuum.
Yesterday the streets of Kinshasa were largely deserted following the declaration of a national day of mourning. However, tens of thousands of people streamed into the People's Palace to pay their last respects. While already-poor living conditions deteriorated drastically in Kinshasa under President Kabila, many people have publicly wept at his death.
One elderly woman, wearing a dress emblazoned with President Kabila's image, pointed to the masses of people visiting the site. "You see how the population is behind the chief. He wouldn't let himself be manipulated like those others," she said.
A woman from the Group Salongo theatre company who was bearing a large wreath of flowers said simply: "He was our father."
In the middle-class Gombe quarter, a teacher, Mr Gilbert Shindano, sat in the shade outside his house. Like many Congolese he remained perplexed about why Mr Kabila was killed but suspected Western involvement, a widespread belief in Congo. "You can't speak peace and give weapons to people," he said.
The assassination has spurred diplomatic initiatives to end the war. Kabila's three main military allies, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia, are to meet tomorrow, possibly in Mozambique, to discuss the crisis. Some diplomatic sources suggested the summit may even include Rwanda and Uganda, the main backers of the rebel factions fighting to overthrow the Kinshasa government.
President Kabila's soldier son, Joseph, is due to be appointed head of state after today's funeral. However, a dangerous game of power politics is thought to be raging in Kinshasa. It is still unclear how secure Joseph Kabila's position is at the head of one of Africa's largest but most fragile nations.