A senior Ugandan army officer has been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, during fighting between tribal militias loyal to President Laurent Kabila, and Ugandan-backed rebel forces.

The Ugandan army said the commander in charge of the town of Beni, Major Reuben Ikondere, was killed along with his two bodyguards when a group of Mai Mai fighters attacked the town, in the north-east of Congo.

The Ugandan Military Chief of Staff, Brigadier James Kazini, said at least fifty Mai Mai fighters were killed in a counter-attack by Ugandan troops. The rival factions fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed a peace deal, but both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire.