KINSHASA - Zaire is preparing to defend a key town on the path of advancing rebels and will resume aerial bombing, defence ministry officials said yesterday.
South Africa announced plans for summit talks to contain Zaire's expanding four month rebel war but diplomats in Kinshasa said fighting looked likely to escalate before then.
A senior military official denied foreign radio reports that rebels, who took the mining town of Kalima on Saturday, were heading for Kindu, the Maniema Province capital and one of Zaire's principal military bases in the region.
"We have taken necessary steps to defend Kindu and we will be attacking Kalima and Kalemie by plane shortly," the official said. The inland port of Kalemie fell to rebels this month.
Zairean planes last week bombed the rebel held towns of Bukavu, Shabunda and Walekali, killing at least 19 people and prompting a threat of revenge from the rebel chief, Mr Laurent Kabila.
The official, who asked not to be named, said reports of rebel advances were speculation started by Mr Kabila's threat of a generalised offensive.