Zaire Rebels Circle Government Town
Zairian rebels surrounded on Saturday the last town held by government troops in eastern Zaire, local residents and hospital workers said.
A Zairian rebel officer in Beni, who refused to give his name, said his forces were on the outskirts of Bunia, 100 miles north.
Hundreds of troops fighting under the banner of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for Liberation (Congo-Zaire) headed from Beni, near the Ugandan border, to Bunia Saturday morning.
In Kinshasa, Zaire’s capital, Information Minister Boguo Makeli said turmoil in Bunia had left 10 people dead.
The Zairian rebels also clashed Friday and Saturday with Ugandan rebels west of Beni in Virunga National Park, hospital workers in Beni said. At least one Zairian rebel was wounded. It was not clear why Ugandan and Zairian rebels were fighting.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
