Ethnic militia retake Congo town

Thousands have fled into Uganda from Bunia

Well-armed ethnic Hema fighters have taken control of the troubled town of Bunia in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

They forced out Lendu militiamen who had been in control for the past week after a two-hour battle, say United Nations officials in the town.

The latest fighting came ahead of a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday to discuss the situation in Bunia.

Senior figures including South African President Thabo Mbeki have urged the UN to increase beef up its force there and strengthen its mandate.

Drugged boys

Following the takeover by the Hema Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), ethnic Lendus are leaving the town, says UN spokeswoman Patricia Tome.

"If [UN peacekeeping] troops are going to be deployed they have to deployed quickly," she said.

DR CONGO'S WAR

Four years

Seven foreign armies

At least 2 million dead

Disease and abuses widespread

A hard road to peace

"The UPC say they have warned their men against committing abuses in the town but the Lendu are not going to take the word of the UPC and they are leaving."

UN officials within Bunia say the Hema fighters launched their attack at 0600 local time (0500 GMT).

Using artillery and mortars, they chased out the town's Lendu defenders within two hours.

The officials said the militiamen, many of whom are drugged teenage fighters armed with machetes and spears, turned and ran in the face of superior fire power.

The two sides have been fighting for control of Bunia and the gold rich region that surrounds it for the past week, since the Ugandan army withdrew following an agreement with the Congolese Government.

President Joseph Kabila has invited all militia leaders to peace talks and called on them not to target Bunia's population.

Because of the ethnic aspect of the conflict - the Lendu and Hema are traditional foes - many civilians have been killed.

Over the weekend, UN peacekeepers counted at least 32 victims of the violence, including two priests and three infants.

'Dangerous tourists'

There are some 620 UN troops in Bunia but they have been unable to stop the fighting.

On Sunday, Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, condemned the UN force in DR Congo (Monuc) as "dangerous tourists".

"What they are doing right now is they drive around in their cars, remain in their cars while people are being killed 500 metres away... This is not acceptable," he said.

But Monuc's military head Montaga Diallo told the BBC's Network Africa programme that the UN had not intervened to save civilians because it had not witnessed any of the fighting in Bunia.

He said they already had a mandate to use force to stop civilians being killed.

"The United Nations has failed to guarantee the security of civilians in Bunia and we captured the town to restore order," said UPC spokesman Jean-Baptiste Dhetchuvi.