JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo entered a complicated phase last week, with allegations that Angola and Zimbabwe had either deployed troops in the mineral rich Central African country, or had mobilized them in a bid to bolster President Joseph Kabila's army. Last month, Kabila requested that Angola -- which boasts one of Africa's strongest armies -- back him against the predominantly Tutsi rebels led by renegade Gen. Laurent Nkunda in the volatile eastern province of North Kivu. Officials within the United Nations peacekeeping force in the province's capital of Goma have also confirmed the presence of Angolan troops in combat against the rebels, the first such incident after the withdrawal of outside forces from the DRC in a peace accord signed in 2003.
Fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo Risks Regional War
