CONGOLESE troops yesterday traded heavy weapons fire with a private militia in the capital, Brazzaville, littering the streets with bodies and prompting France to send fresh troops to protect its citizens.
As fighting continued for a fourth day France said it was more than doubling its forces in Congo Brazzaville, to about 950 troops, following the death of one of its soldiers in a firefight and threats to its nationals.
The militia loyal to Congo's former president, Mr Denis Sassou Nguesso, said it had gained the upper hand in the fighting which could be heard late last night across the river in Kinshasa, capital of the new Democratic Republic of Congo.
No reliable death toll was available but one European resident of Brazzaville said it could be "several hundred".
Aides to the former president contacted from Kinshasa said that Mr Nguesso would meet tomorrow with the Prime Minister, Mr David Charles Ganao, who on Saturday called for a ceasefire and announced plans for mediation talks.
But fighting was intensifying rather than easing. France, the former colonial power in Congo, responded to the fears of its nationals in the Congo by announcing it was sending 500 fresh troops to reinforce the 450 already in the Congo.
In Paris, the foreign ministry also said French troops in Brazzaville had suspended efforts to round up French citizens for evacuation, fearing more clashes like the one that left one soldier dead and five wounded on Saturday.
French troops were earlier yesterday using armoured vehicles to collect French nationals scattered throughout the battle scarred Congolese capital.
The ministry said that since the operations had begun on Saturday, 250 people had been moved to French military secured sites near the airport. The armoured vehicles had been specially flown in earlier yesterday.
The French form the biggest foreign expatriate community in Brazzaville with around 2,000 people.
Late on Saturday, a French soldier was killed and five others were wounded when they attempted to fetch some expatriate French, workers near the presidency.
Passengers who arrived in Paris on Saturday night on a flight from Brazzaville said French citizens were being singled out for attacks by the warring forces. In Washington, the State Department said 45 Americans and five relatives of US embassy personnel had been evacuated on Saturday. A spokesman said about 100 Americans were left in the Congolese capital.
An aid worker in Kinshasa said he was in frequent contact via walkie talkie with colleagues in Brazzaville and that the fighting was fierce.
The government said on national radio yesterday that the former president, Mr Denis Sassou Nguesso, was trying to make a coup and urged the population to support the security forces.
Militia fighters loyal to Mr Nguesso, head of state for 13 years until President Pascal Lissouba defeated him in elections in 1992. said they were "crushing" the army but insisted they were not trying to seize power.
The claim came from Mr Ambroise Noumazalay, a senior aide to Mr Nguesso.
The clashes began when government forces raided Mr Sassou Nguesso's home in a crackdown on private armies run by political parties, ahead of presidential polls set for July 27th. Mr Sassou Nguesso wants to run in the election.
Congolese national radio reported that the presidential elections would go ahead as scheduled on that date.