BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Africa: There are nine countries currently in conflict on that continent: The Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been at war since rebel groups backed by Rwanda and Uganda took up arms in 1998. Last week, the two sides turned their guns against each other in the diamond-rich city of Kisangani. CNN's Catherine Bond tells us the fighting has taken a devastating toll on civilians.</s>CATHERINE BOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rwandan and Ugandan troops spent six days fighting for control of Kisangani, but in the end, it was Congolese civilians who suffered most, with relief workers counting more than 1,000 injured and estimating at least 200 dead. Surgeons struggled to cope, forced by lack of medical supplies to carry out operations, including leg amputations, without anesthetic. Shocked and grief-stricken, people packed hospital corridors. "We are suffering for nothing," says this man. "These people come to kill us. We haven't asked these people to come here to kill us. We're not supporting the Ugandans, the Rwandans or the rebels." This video shows Rwandan soldiers on the banks of the Congo River. Ugandan troops were out of sight, in a suburb. Observers say control of the dam in the center of Kisangani is a key issue politically, strategically and economically to the rival rebel groups, which Uganda and Rwanda back. Caught in the middle of the battle, witnesses say shells rained down on the city, at one point setting the Roman Catholic cathedral on fire, prompting people to try to put out the blaze by throwing roof tiles at it and to rescue church pews. A church compound used as a base by United Nations military observers was also hit by shells. Now fully in control of Kisangani, Rwanda says it could withdraw if the U.N. sends more peacekeepers to occupy it. Uganda has pulled out of Kisangani as a result of the fighting, but still holds positions nearby. Catherine Bond, CNN, Nairobi.
Fighting Ravages Civilians of Kisangani