U.N. Forces Seek to Halt Advance of Renegade Congolese Soldiers

United Nations peacekeepers in helicopters and armored troop carriers headed for the front line Tuesday in eastern Congo to stop renegade forces from advancing after more than a week of fighting.

The U.N. mission in Congo said its troops were moving to set up a temporary buffer zone between the towns of Kanyabayonga and Lubero to keep rebels and loyalist troops apart.

“The helicopters are in the air and they have orders to shoot at any of the insurgents that move towards Lubero,” a senior U.N. official in Congo said.

More than a dozen diplomats from countries including the U.S., Britain, Russia and Nigeria met local military leaders and politicians in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, to try to calm the situation.