Unidentified gunmen attacked a major military base in
Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, on Tuesday but the government
said the situation had been quickly brought under control.
Witnesses said shooting died down after about half an hour
but security forces deployed tanks on the streets. The base, known as Camp
Tshatshi, was the scene of fighting in December last year when gunmen also
attacked state television and an airport in the capital.
"Armed men attacked Camp Tshatshi sometime between 1400
and 1430 (1300-1330 GMT) but they were defeated. We must await the preliminary
reports before we can identify them," government spokesman Lambert Mende
told Reuters.
A soldier in the camp who asked not to be named said at
least four attackers had been killed.
President Joseph Kabila scored a major victory last year
when his U.N.-backed forces defeated eastern rebels. However, he does not have
a strong grip on the vast nation and there are increased tensions over whether
Kabila will try to modify the constitution to stay in power for a third term in
2016.
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