Violence erupts at DR Congo camp

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A clash between soldiers and ex-rebels waiting to be integrated into the army has erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the UN.

The confrontation is said to have taken place in a major military base in the southern town of Kamina, after ex-rebels raided a camp weapons depot.

Of the 27 injured, 16 were ex-rebels, 10 army commandoes, and one a civilian.

But the Congolese defence minister insisted the clash would not threaten the 23 January peace pact.

Rebel leader Gen Laurent Nkunda - whose former fighters are said to have been involved in this latest clash - was a key signatory to the 23 January agreement.

The integration of Gen Nkunda's forces into the national army is envisaged in the pact, which aimed to end months of bloody conflict in eastern DR Congo which has displaced almost 500,000 people.

Delegation

The fighting at the base in Kamina, Katanga province, broke out on Sunday and continued into Monday, said the UN mission in Congo, Monuc, in a statement.

It is not known what triggered the clashes, in which some casualties were seriously injured.

There are about 1,000 former Nkunda loyalists at the camp, but it is not known how many were involved in the fighting.

The army has sent a delegation of top officers to Kamina to investigate, Reuters news agency reported.

"What happened in Kamina is regrettable, but you can't say it weakens the peace process," Defence Minister Chikez Diemu told Reuters.

"We think there was a command deficit that led to a failure to contain these people, but we're not going to make a storm in a teacup."