re: news from back then Another news source with some more info:
monuc.org
15/10/2004
Gunmen seize mining town in southeastern Congo
Reuters
KINSHASA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Heavily armed gunmen have seized a town and nearby copper mine in southeastern Congo, aid workers and government officials said on Thursday.
The attack on Kilwa, a town on the edge of Lake Moero which borders Congo's Katanga province and Zambia, prompted international mining company Anvil to evacuate staff from its mine, U.N. officials and an industry source said.
"We have been told by aid agencies on the ground that heavily armed men last night marched into and took the town of Kilwa," Alexandre Essome, a spokesman for Congo's United Nations mission, said by phone from Katanga's capital Lubumbashi.
"There was some shooting but we don't know if anyone was killed," he added. "But the staff from the mine have been evacuated."
Essome said the identity of the gunmen had not yet been confirmed but they were thought to include local militias and Katangan Tigers, rebels who have fought for secession in southeastern Congo.
Anvil officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Congo is struggling to recover from a five-year war that sucked in six neighbouring countries and killed three million people, mostly through hunger and disease.
A mining industry source said the Congolese army was planning to confront the attackers.
"These were Portuguese-speaking soldiers who came into town last night. The government forces ran away," the source said.
"Anvil has evacuated their staff but the Congolese army is due to go in to resolve the problem tomorrow."
The Democratic Republic of Congo's transitional government confirmed the attack but played down its importance.
"Yes, there was an attack but it is not too serious and at the moment is still limited to the area near the border," government spokesman Henri Mova Sakanyi said.
"The situation is still fluid but the army is taking steps to get it under control," he added.
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