United Nations Radio

Fighting has resumed in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and continues intermittently between PARECO, an ethnic militia, and rebels led by Laurent Nkunda.

According to the UN Mission there (MONUC), as of now, the violence appears to be limited to the village of Kiwanja, some two kilometers outside Rutshuru, in rebel-held territory.

The Mission said that UN peacekeepers at a nearby base appear to be trapped in the crossfire. The peacekeepers have yet to report any casualties among their ranks, but there is mounting concern that the intensity of the gunfire may have caused some damage.

The Mission says it has temporarily suspended a humanitarian assessment mission in the area and gathered aid workers in a safe house to wait out the gun battle.

The ceasefire, however, appears to be holding in the provincial capital of Goma. And UN peacekeepers are beefing up their numbers there, with two additional companies arriving Tuesday and a formed police unit expected Wednesday.

There are currently 5,000 UN peacekeepers in North Kivu, 1,700 of them in Goma alone.

Meanwhile, the head of UN Peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, and the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the DRC, Alan Doss, are continuing their visit to North Kivu.

Earlier Tuesday, they visited IDP camps and UN military bases in the region, before meeting with humanitarian workers. They also met with the Congolese prime minister and the international facilitation, including European Union and United States representatives.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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