Rwanda 'makes gains' in Kisangani

Rwanda says its forces have driven Ugandan troops from their strongholds in the Congolese city of Kisangani, where the two sides have been engaged in heavy fighting for several days.

Rwanda says it pushed Ugandan soldiers to the north side of the Tshopo bridge which leads into the city.

Despite my appeals at the highest levels... the armed forces of Rwanda and Uganda continue their senseless fighting in the territory of a third country

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

For its part, Uganda has denied any retreat and accused the Rwandans of engaging in a major offensive. But the retreat was confirmed by the United Nations observation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monuc), which has deployed observers in Kisangani.

Rwanda and Uganda are fighting to support rival rebel factions which both oppose Congolese President Laurent Kabila.

More than 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the fighting.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday condemned the "reckless, senseless" fighting between Ugandan and Rwandan forces in Kisangani and said he would ask the Security Council to take steps to end it.

'Preventing hostilities'

A Rwandan army officer told the AFP news agency that his forces had not pursued the Ugandans over the bridge.

President Kabila: Facing a rebellion

"The operation took us six days, and there remain a few pockets of resistance which we are in the process of clearing out, but we will stay on the south side in order to permit a Monuc deployment between the lines," he said.

News of the latest troop movements was welcomed by the UN observer mission.

Monuc spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Danilo Paiva said: "We hope this new development permits us to position one of our units on the Tshopo bridge, to plant the UN flag on the bridge, and to prevent any new hostilities."

The BBC's Chris Simpson, who is in Kigali, says the way should now be clear for both armies to resume their disengagement from Kisangani under UN supervision.

The Rwandan chief-of-staff, General Kyumba Niawasa, said there was no reason for his troops to stay provided the UN did the job it was supposed to do and the Ugandans did not stage fresh attacks from across the river.

Humanitarian situation

The UN observers in Kisangani have brokered another humanitarian ceasefire to begin at 0400 local time on Sunday.

The UN call for a ceasefire was backed by the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, who said a truce was vital to set up emergency surgical posts, and supply health centres with drugs, medical equipment and water.

Zambia's President Chiluba has been trying to stop the fighting

"A break in the hostilities would also enable the wounded to reach hospitals, the population to get food and water, and families to find each other and bury their dead," the charity added.

Reports say the humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Kisangani, with residents gathering in unhealthy and inadequate areas, often without water supplies.

Students called on Monuc to take action against foreigners fighting in their city, and said they would hold a peace march on Sunday.

Nearly 3,000 people have taken refuge on the university campus, which is exposed to stray bullets and mortars.

Zambia's President Frederick Chiluba flew to Uganda and Rwanda on Saturday for talks with the respective presidents in an attempt to put a stop to the fighting between the two former allies in the rebellion against President Kabila.

The Zambian leader is the chairman of the Lusaka peace accord, which seeks to end the wider war which began in August 1998.