It noted they had been living in camps in the Kigoma area for seven months. A World Vision official, quoted by the radio, said the refugees had decided to return after former president Mobutu Sese Seko was ousted by Kabila's troops. Reports from the capital today said Sassou Nguesso's militiamen fired heavy weapons at the parliament building and tension was mounting. Diplomatic activity intensified over the week, as UN-OAU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Mohamed Sahnoun shuttled between Brazzaville and Libreville, Gabon, where representatives of the two sides were attending peace talks. Clashes appeared to die down after the ceasefire came into effect midnight Tuesday.
Attempts are underway to bring an African buffer force to Congo.
On Friday, the US State Department warned that if Lissouba was ousted undemocratically, Congo risked losing US aid. Many of them came from Equateur province and refused to be registered as refugees, the majority of them staying with friends and family along the border. Fighting again broke out in the CAR capital Bangui over the weekend, between mutinous soldiers and members of an African peacekeeping force, killing at least 20 people. The capital has a history of clashes between rebel soldiers and troops loyal to President Ange-Felix Patasse. Last year, the city was rocked by three army mutinies.