Fighting in eastern provinces continues for a 3rd day

Fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) eastern provinces continued for the third consecutive day on 29 October 2008. Fighting has been centered in the Kibumba area -- which is located approximately 18 mi/30 km from the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma -- and has forced more than 20,000 of the region's residents to flee; more than 200,000 civilians have been displaced since fighting resumed in late August 2008. The United Nations has deployed two combat helicopters to battle troops of Laurent Nkunda's rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) as they advance toward Goma, but its efforts have been relatively futile as the rebels claim to have captured the town of Rutshuru on 28 October, giving them control of a long stretch of the road leading to Goma. Military experts predict that the CNDP will have control of Goma by 4 November unless DRC and U.N. troops take decisive action to halt the advance. During the fighting on 29 October, the DRC and Rwanda accused each other of cross-border incursions. The DRC claimed that the Tutsi CNDP rebels are being backed by Rwandan tanks at the border, while Rwanda accused the DRC of firing shots into Rwanda. DRC President Joseph Kabila sent a delegate to Rwanda to speak with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the intensifying situation in North Kivu, but Kigali continues to deny all activity in the DRC.