Congo Rebels Attack Towns

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30629, 21 December 1964, Page 13

Congo Rebels Attack Towns

(N Z. Press Association—Copyright) LEOPOLDVILLE, December 20. Congolese rebels equipped with Russian and Communist Chinese automatic weapons are counter-attacking fiercely around two provincial capitals in the North-eastern Congo. Radio messages reaching Leopoldville yesterday said a handful of Central Government troops were clinging to precarious positions at Paulis, the capital of Uele province.

Only the town’s airport, hotel and mission compound were still in Government hands, the messages said. Paulis was recaptured less than two weeks ago by 47 of Premier Moise Tshombe’s white mercenary soldiers and 200 Congolese troops. Other radio messages said rebels launched an assault on Bunia, the capital of neighbouring Kibali-Ituri Province. There was shooting in the town, but the messages indicated Bunia's garrison of about 60 mercenaries and a Congolese contingent were holding out. The commander at Paulis radioed earlier this week that his men were being attacked by about 4000 rebels who had two armoured jeeps and an armoured car.

At least 13 Congolese soldiers have been killed since the rebel counter attacks began last week-end.

Russian and Communist Chinese machine-guns and automatic rifles taken from slain rebels at Paulis are being studied in Leopoldville by military experts. The guns and ammunition are reliably reported to have been shipped to the Congo through the Sudan.

Intelligence sources said at least 200 tons of supplies for the rebels had been airlifted to the Sudanese town of Juba in Soviet-built aircraft belonging to pro-rebel African States.

Military experts said much of the captured Soviet and Chinese equipment was old and obsolete, although st.ill in excellent working order.

Some of the weapons are believed to have been supplied originally to the Algerian Army during its sevenyear war with France. Congolese Army headquarters reported yesterday that weapons were reaching the rebels across Lake Tanganyika from the Republic of Tanzania. The region around Fizi, close to the northern end of the lake, is a rebel stronghold. Army headquarters also announced that nearly 10,000 rebels were massing south of Kindu for an attack on the town. Kindu was one of the main centres of the rebellion until it was recaptured by Government forces in early November.

Kindu, about 250 air miles south of the former rebel

capital of Stanleyville, has only a small Congolese garrison. It served as the supply base for the Government assault on Stanleyville and has large stocks of arms and ammunition.

Latest intelligence reports say the rebels are believed to have taken several hundred white hostages north to Aba and Raradje, a town close to the Sudanese border. A rebel prisoner last week reported there were still some whites alive at Wamba, south of Paulis.