Rebel forces clash with pro-government militia

Sporadic gunfire and explosions echoed around the town of Kiwanja as Congolese rebels fought pro-government militiamen for a second day, forcing thousands to flee.

A cease-fire was holding elsewhere, however, and diplomats scrambled to assemble a regional peace summit Friday in Kenya.

As insurgents loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda searched houses in Kiwanja, artillery fire boomed in the hills nearby, and rebels told journalists to leave.

In the nearby village of Mabenga, a Belgian journalist working for a German newspaper was kidnapped by militiamen late Tuesday, along with his assistant and three rebel fighters, said local official Gilles Simpeze.