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Rebels consolidate grip on troubled town

KIGALI (Rwanda) May 13. Congolese rebels consolidated their grip on a troubled north-eastern Congolese town on Tuesday, patrolling the streets and shooting in the air to discourage looting, a rebel leader said on Tuesday.

As calm returned after nearly a week of bloodshed, residents identified at least 112 civilians killed in fighting, said Christian Lukusha, representative of Justice Plus, a local human rights group. The rebels seized control of Bunia from rival tribal fighters on Monday.

The Greek Government evacuated 12 nationals from Bunia to neighbouring Uganda on Monday, said Honore Musoko, another official of Justice Plus.

A Congolese Cabinet Minister, trapped in Bunia since the town fell into rebel hands, took refuge at U.N. premises.

The Congolese Human Rights Minister, Ntumba Luaba, said he was on a peace mission to Bunia.

The Union of Congolese Patriots, or UPC, led by members of the Hema community, captured Bunia from tribal rivals, the Lendus on Monday.

The Hema and Lendu fighters have battled for control of Bunia for one week.

The Fighting begun a day after neighbouring Uganda completed the withdrawal of its more than 6,000 soldiers from in an around Bunia.

Ugandans left the town in the hands of Lendu tribal fighters, a small contingent of U.N. troops from Uruguay and an even smaller Congolese police force.

``Fighting has ended and my troops are conducting mop up operations ... patrolling the streets and sometimes shooting in the air to stop looting,'' Thomas Lubanga, head of UPC, said. Aid workers, who left after offices, homes and warehouses were looted, trickled back on Tuesday to help residents who spent several days sheltering at three U.N. premises without access to clean water and sanitary facilities, said the U.N. mission in Congo, or MONUC.

The police and the U.N. troops have been ineffective in stemming the violence and looting, and a civil administration set up to run Bunia after the Ugandan withdrawal had collapsed.

There are 625 U.N. troops in Bunia, while there are between 25,000 and 28,000 tribal fighters in the region, with thousands of them deployed in and around Bunia. — AP

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