Kivu cease-fire frays on eve of summit

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Clashes between rebel forces and government soldiers flared Thursday in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a cease-fire appeared to be failing.

Gen. Laurent Nkunda, leader of the rebels, Congo President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame were scheduled to attend talks Friday in Nairobi with U.N. Secretary General Bank Ki-moon and other leaders in an effort to resolve the crisis, The Independent reported.

Nkunda's troops have been sitting outside Goma, the capital of northern Kivu, since declaring the cease-fire a week ago. Rebels attacked the village of Kiwanja Wednesday night. Nkunda said his forces were responding to an attack from the government-backed Hutu militia and denied targeting civilians.

A U.N. spokesman said Nkunda's troops had also taken Nyanzale, a town 50 miles from Goma, the BBC reported.

The trouble in Kivu is a result of the spilling over of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 when Hutus massacred Tutsis.