(30 Dec 2005)
Eringethi/ Beni
1. Aerials of area where fighting took place
Beni
2. UN helicopter taking off
3. Various of UN armoured personnel carrier
4. Various of Indian UN peacekeepers manning machine gun in hold in ground
5.Various of MONUC (United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) peacekeepers in position
6. SOUNDBITE: (French) General Eugene Mbuyi, DR Congo Army:
"The death toll I have already told you, it is 43 dead, and several injured. Also, we are proud of our attack because we got rid of their big chiefs: Parada and Amosi. They are dead, their big chiefs."
7. Indian UN peacekeepers manning machine gun post
Eringethi
8. Various of UN tank driving along road
9. Congolese soldier (on joint operation with UN soldiers) standing by side of road
Beni
10. Congolese General Mbuyi displaying weapons captured from rebels
11. Close up of weapons
12. Indian UN peacekeepers manning machine gun post
13. General Mbuyi sitting in UN military briefing
14. Close up of screen: "Operation North Night Finale"
15. UN General addressing military briefing
STORYLINE:
Government soldiers backed by U.N. troops battled Ugandan rebels during a sweep of the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive eastern region, killing 35 insurgents near the city of Beni, the United Nations said.
One U.N. peacekeeper from India was killed, a U.N. spokesman said.
Government troops have been trying ahead of next year's elections to re-establish authority in a region roiled by violence since the 1998-2002 war- a conflict that drew in the armies of six nations and left some 4 million dead, mostly from strife-induced hunger and disease.
The troops are battling homegrown militia fighters as well as rebels from neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda. The UN said there are some 1,000 Ugandan fighters in DR Congo - running guns, poaching endangered wildlife and terrorising civilians.
Some 15,000 U.N. troops are in DR Congo to help provide security in a country the size of western Europe and long wracked by war, army revolts and coups d'etat.
On Sunday, about 3,500 DR Congo troops backed by about 600 U.N. Peacekeepers battled Ugandan rebels near the eastern city of Beni, the U.N. said.
The UN said the battle was part of a weekslong sweep of the east.
General Eugene Mbuyi of the Congolese Army said the engagement had resulted in the deaths of rebel leaders.
"The death toll I have already told you, it is 43 dead, and several injured. Also, we are proud of our attack because we got rid of their big chiefs: Parada and Amosi. They are dead, their big chiefs," Mbuyi said.
DR Congo is seeking to elect its first democratic government in more than three decade to replace a transitional administration set up after the war.
Last week's voting saw millions of Congolese deciding on a new constitution for their country. With the majority of votes counted, the charter seemed headed for approval.
Congolese had not voted en masse since 1970, when the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko stood as the sole candidate in what was then Zaire. His reign ended in 1997 in the first of two wars that wracked the country until 2002.
The referendum is viewed as a crucial step toward lasting peace. The charter would grant greater autonomy to mineral-rich regions, but is viewed by many as another attempt by corrupt politicians to enrich themselves.
The charter was written by members of the transitional government, including many former rebel leaders and partisans of President Joseph Kabila.
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