Africa, Land of Conflicts

Violent battles rage in Ivory Coast as the rebels are driven out of one city, while in Sudan the government troops take the offensive against the People’s Liberation Army in the south and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex-Zaire) Rwandan-backed Congolese Union for Democracy forces contain the government-backed militia which support Kinshasa.

Government troops in Ivory Coast won back a large part of the third city, Daloa, on Tuesday after violent battles had raged for the best part of the day. Daloa, in the West of the country, is the most important cocoa-producing city in Ivory Coast, which produces 40% of the world supply. The rebels continue to hold the country’s second city, Bouake (centre) and Korhogo (north).

Meanwhile, Luanda rejects claims that Angolan Army units were involved in the battle in Daloa or that Angolan Armed Forces advisers were used by the Ivory Coast government.

As the government and the PLA rebel movement in Sudan prepare for peace talks in Kenya, the government has stepped up military pressure in the south of the country, aiming to eliminate resistance by the rebel forces. The peace talks have been interrupted since 2nd September because a prerequisite was a complete cessation of hostilities.

In DR Congo, an offensive by militia backed by Kinshasa has been stopped by the Rwandan CUD rebels in the east of the country. The government-backed Mai-Mai militia had seized the town of Uvira, in the province of South Kivu, on Sunday and were stopped short of Bukavu, the capital of the province.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru

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