An attack on a southern Angolan town is reported to have left more than 20 people dead.

Local reports suggest that Unita rebels are responsible for what is being described as a massacre.

Shortly after 0400 on Sunday the population of Santa Clara woke up to the sound of gunfire.

The majority of residents in the small town managed to escape and fled across the Namibian border, less than 10 km to the south.

Angolan state media has reported that a total of 24 people were killed and 31 injured by Unita rebels.

However, a local journalist working for Angolan's independent Radio Ecclesia said on Monday that the numbers of dead had not been confirmed.

He said bodies are lying in the street, and said locals are accusing Unita.

Army accused

Nevertheless, accounts from people who have recently returned to Luanda from the troubled border region, suggest that Angolan Government troops have also killed many civilians.

One aid worker described the mood of the Angolan army as crazed: "They're killing anyone," he said.

But regardless of which side committed this latest attack, the effects on the local population are immense.

Santa Clara is situated along the main trading route between Angola to Namibia and further south to South Africa.

Sunday's attack has temporarily halted all commercial traffic.

The Angolan Government has announced that from March all vehicles seeking to cross the border must be registered with the provincial authorities.

This may not reduce the threat of violence in the area, however.

On Monday morning Archbishop Dom Zacarias Kamuenho, who lives in Angola's troubled south, said Angola's armed forces are also maltreating and sometimes killing the people.

Tension along the frontier with Namibia increased in early December when Angolan government troops began a fresh offensive against Unita positions.

Thousands of Angolans have since fled into Namibia to escape fighting in the region.