World news

[phil1993]

Regional DR Congo talks planned

Fears are growing for thousands of people who have fled into the bush
The Rwandan and Congolese presidents have agreed to try to end fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda's Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Joseph Kabila agreed to attend a regional summit after talks with a senior EU official on Friday.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband are due to meet the two men and visit Goma on Saturday.

The UN refugee agency has described the situation as "a total disaster".

Aid groups say they are struggling to reach 250,000 people fleeing fighting between government and rebel forces.

European Union Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said the only way to resolve the crisis was through a summit involving all regional leaders.

He said agreement had been reached on the prospect of a regional summit after two days of talks in the Congolese capital Kinshasa and the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

"They are both fully agreed on the idea of having this summit," Mr Michel told the BBC.

See detailed map of the area
But renegade rebel general Laurent Nkunda had not yet been asked to join the talks, Mr Michel added.

A ceasefire is holding in and around Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, but aid agencies say the situation there remains highly volatile.

Gen Nkunda's forces are positioned some 15km (nine miles) from the city, which they have threatened to take unless UN peacekeepers guarantee the ceasefire and security there.

Refugee stampede

As diplomatic efforts to end the crisis gathered pace on Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called leaders in Africa, Europe and the US to urge them to "do all they can to bring the parties to a neutral venue for negotiations".




Crisis bites for refugees
Q&A: DR Congo conflict
In pictures: Congo crisis
Miliband flying out to DR Congo

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the current African Union chairman, and AU Commission chief Jean Ping said the summit could be held in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam or the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Food, water and medicine in the city are scarce, and many international relief workers have pulled out after reports widespread rape and looting by retreating Congolese troops.

The BBC's Orla Guerin witnessed scenes of chaos at a refugee camp in Kibati outside Goma, as desperately hungry people surged towards aid distribution points.

Children were trampled underfoot and panicked aid staff were forced to beat back the heaving crowd.

Some who reached Kibati told the BBC they had more chance of getting food in the forests than inside Goma.

Trading accusations

The UN refugee agency said camps sheltering 50,000 refugees in Rutshuru, 90km north of Goma, had been forcibly emptied, looted and then burnt to the ground.



Congo refugees struggle for aid
"There are some 50,000 people who were in those camps," said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond. "We don't know where they would be, we're afraid that they may have just dispersed off into the bush."

The UN has more than 17,000 peacekeeping troops in DR Congo - the largest UN force in the world - but correspondents say it is struggling to cope with the scale of the current crisis.

The origin of the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo is the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda.

Gen Nkunda says he is fighting to protect his Tutsi community from attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom are accused of taking part in the genocide.

The Congolese government has often promised to stop Hutu forces from using its territory, but has not done so.

There have also been accusations of collusion between DR Congo's army and Hutu guerrillas.

The Congolese government, for its part, has accused Rwanda of backing Gen Nkunda.

Rwanda denies this, but it has twice invaded its much larger neighbour in recent years

really makes you feel lucky to live in a stable country with food and shelter. Put things into perspectives when I was complaining about it being 8.C in our house last night with no heating then you see this on TV.

[phil1993]

These terror hunts In Mumbai are terrible - +125 dead. really bad but my concern is that i haven't seen Zack on the forum for a few days

[iceman1]

These terror hunts In Mumbai are terrible - +125 dead. really bad but my concern is that i haven't seen Zack on the forum for a few days

yeah I think he's from Mumbai , hopefully he's Good

[phil1993]

yeah, I know, thats why i said it. They attacked two hotels that primarily had tourists and a railway station as well as some places generally

[coup]

its such a terrible shame that some people in this world decide that they want to do things like this.

[phil1993]

death count: +130

[Haukinen]

OMG, I just red, that Mika Häkkinen was in a business trip in Mumbai!

[phil1993]

Its all over now - 185+ dead

[iceman1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7756068.stm

in 2007 Terrorist attacked North lebanon (I was there). hopefully zack & his family are in a safe Place

[phil1993]

Yeah, still nothing from him. I remember the war between Lebanon and (help me here) in Summer 2006 for about a month - were you OK?

[iceman1]

Yeah, still nothing from him. I remember the war between Lebanon and (help me here) in Summer 2006 for about a month - were you OK?

Lebanon and Israel , not totally Lebanon but ''Hezbullah'' and Israel . I was there the first days only

[Zack]

Thanks guys for your heartily concern...

I m safe.

[phil1993]

For once I can say its good to hear from you Zack

[Haukinen]

Nice to hear, that you are okey. Hey, where did you get that blood to your avatar?

[iceman1]

Nice to see you again zack !