Congolese troops grab back flashpoint of ethnic killings

Government troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo have retaken the stronghold of a local uprising that exploded over fishing rights and forced nearly 150,000 people to flee. In October some 50 policemen were killed by armed men in Equateur province in the north-west of the country, after ethnic Enyele and Monzaya communities came to blows. But it seems that fishing rights were just a spark for the release of deeper tensions. Little known groups have posted statements on the Internet saying they intend to launch a rebellion against the government in Kinshasa. The UN has some 18,000 troops in the DRC, trying to quell the aftermath of a brutal civil war. But most are based in the far east of the country along the borders of Burundi and Rwanda, where Rwanda’s 1994 genocide has left a seething cauldron of instability. Now another problem is brewing in the chaotic, mineral-rich country. Read more: Reuters, AFP