Congo Army Units in Deadly Clash Over General’s Arrest

Army units clashed near the presidential palace and barracks in the Congolese capital on Friday, killing at least 18 soldiers, news reports said.

Military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some of the gunfire may be related to the arrest Tuesday of a former aide to President Laurent Kabila.

The afternoon firefight near Kabila’s offices killed seven soldiers, the local Le Palmares newspaper reported, quoting hospital sources and its own reporters.

Kabila was in his office when the shooting broke out, Le Palmares quoted Interior Minister Mwenze Kongolo as saying.

Earlier Friday, a gun battle around barracks in western Kinshasa killed 11 troops, Le Palmares said.

But the Interior Ministry in a broadcast on state radio said only three soldiers had died and two others were wounded. In Paris, France Info radio reported about 20 soldiers dead.

The military sources said the fighting may be tied to the arrest of Gen. Anselme Masasu Mindaga, one of the heads of the Congolese army who fought along with Kabila to topple former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in May. The daily newspaper Le Potentiel reported Friday that leaflets were distributed Thursday calling on people to “fight for the liberation of Gen. Masasu.”