DRC rebels take town of Bukavu
2004-06-02 11:28
Bukavu - The leader of a group of ex-rebels integrated into the Democratic Republic of Congo's new army said on Wednesday his men had taken control of the eastern town of Bukavu, where fighting first broke out a week earlier.
"General Felix Budja Mabe is fleeing the town," Jules Mutebusi, who has been suspended as an army general, told reporters, referring to the head of regular forces in the area.
"I control the town of Bukavu," he added, saying he was speaking from the town's radio and television centre.
A top UN source confirmed the claim by leaders of the dissident soldiers.
"The dissident troops... control the town," said a top official in Monuc, the UN's military mission in DRC, asking not to be named.