Zambians hunt down DRC troops

Thousands of civilians fled the fighting

By Ishbel Matheson in Kaputa

A full scale security operation is now in force in Zambia's northern Luapula province as the authorities seek to hunt down and disarm thousands of troops who fled the fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thousands of refugees have also crossed the border after Congolese rebels captured the southern towns of Pweto and Pepa.

The atmosphere in the border area is volatile and the presence of many Congolese soldiers is fuelling the tension.

The government is daily reinforcing its security presence at the border.

The small town of Kaputa is swarming with Zambian soldiers, but there are also hundreds of Congolese troops here too.

They fled a fierce rebel offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They were disarmed by Zambian authorities and accommodated in a special camp on the outskirts of Kaputa.

Freedom of movement

Although there are guards at the camp, the Congolese seem to wander in and out freely, mingling with the local population.

Some soldiers are lying low

Many of the soldiers are young; some are little more than children.

In another camp 100 or so deserters from the Congolese army are held.

One 25-year-old said life in President Laurent Kabila's fighting force was bad.

They were not given food or clothes and pay was erratic. He was, he said, tired of war.

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For local people here the situation remains tense.

The Zambian army is still hunting down Congolese soldiers who are hiding out in the lush green woodland of the border and the presence of so many Congolese in Kaputa itself creates a volatile atmosphere.

"The sooner these troops are moving out of here the better," said one senior Zambian official in Kaputa.