Goma, Friday

The United Nations has been accused of dithering over sending reinforcements for its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid reports of increased violence against civilians.

More than 250,000 people have fled recent fighting and armed groups have been accused of rape, killings and looting despite the presence of 17,000 troops, one of the world’s largest UN peacekeeping operations.

The UN’s chief of peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, requested 3,000 more soldiers on Wednesday to boost protection for Congolese civilians in the country’s volatile east.

But the Security Council failed to agree and instead deferred its decision until it receives another report on November 26.

Government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have pushed rebels back 5km (three miles) at the front line north of the eastern city of Goma.

Protests

The two sides are now separated by a dormant lava field created by a nearby volcano.

In Goma, hundreds of women are expected to join a protest shortly to demand peace and protection for the region.

Aid workers have warned that thousands of people at a camp near Goma should be moved in case fighting breaks out.

More than 60,000 displaced people are at the Kibati camp, close to the front line separating government troops and rebels loyal to Gen Laurent Nkunda. They are among 250,000 who have fled the violence which flared in August.

There have been reports - all denied - that troops from Rwanda, Angola and Zimbabwe are in DRC, fighting on opposing sides, as they did in the conflict which officially ended in 2003.

UN troops have reinforced their positions in Goma and say they will prevent the rebels from taking the city, as they have threatened.

On Thursday, Gen Nkunda’s rebels - who are demanding protection from Rwandan Hutu rebels who fled to DRC after Rwanda’s 1994 genocide - told the AFP news agency they had advanced to the outskirts of the strategic town of Kanyabayonga, 100km (60 miles) north of Goma.

Government forces were accused of looting and raping civilians there earlier in the week.

The UN has accused both sides of war crimes during the latest upsurge in violence.

Today women dressed in black are expected to gather at a sports stadium in Goma housing thousands of people who have fled the fighting.

— Agencies