Heavy gunfire erupts in Kinshasa

Heavy gunfire erupted in Kinshasa this morning around the home of Congo’s top presidential challenger, a day after fighters trapped diplomats who had to be evacuated by UN peacekeepers.

UN spokesman Kemar Saiki said the United Nations had asked European forces to help secure the area. The EU forces were already stationed in the region to provide security during Congo’s first multi-party presidential ballot in more than four decades.

Fighting first broke out in the capital of Kinshasa on Sunday night as official results for the first round were announced. The results indicated that October run-off was needed, pitting President Joseph Kabila against ex-rebel leader and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Troops loyal to the two remaining candidates fought yesterday around Bemba’s house in the north-eastern Gombe district of Kinshasa. Bemba’s political party said Kabila’s guards attacked the house, drawing return fire from Bemba’s own guards. Bemba’s helicopter caught fire inside the compound.

The party characterised the fighting as an attempt on Bemba’s life.

A party spokesman said Bemba was evacuated from his house along with the foreign diplomats yesterday, but troops continued to attack the candidate’s house today.

“They’re still attacking the residence of Vice President Bemba,” said Dully Sesanga, Congo’s planning minister and spokesman for Bemba’s party.

The envoys evacuated from Bemba’s residence included the head of the world body’s 17,500-troop peacekeeping mission, William Swing, and diplomats from the United States, France, China and other countries.

UN spokesman Jean-Tobias Okala said all the diplomats were safe after 150 UN troops in 20 armoured personnel carriers took them from Bemba’s home hours after they arrived for a meeting.

It was not clear if the diplomats were ambassadors or lower-ranking officials. The US Embassy had no comment and others were not immediately reachable for comment.

European Union force spokesman Sylvain Nogrette said EU troops were deployed to allow the UN troops to extract the ambassadors yesterday and expected to be replaced over the course of today by UN forces.

In a bid to quell the violence, the army issued orders yesterday for all soldiers in the Congolese capital to return to barracks and lay down their arms.

At least two people died in fighting on Sunday.

With 16.9 million votes cast in the July 30 ballot, Kabila won 45 per cent of the votes against 20 per cent for Bemba, who is also a vice president in Kabila’s transitional administration.

The remainder of the votes cast were shared among 31 other now-vanquished candidates.