The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to deploy a police brigade in the northeastern district of Ituri to protect civilians from militias, Interior Minister Théophile Mbemba told IRIN on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced on Wednesday that he has banned peacekeepers of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as MONUC, from fraternising with locals, UN News reported.

Armed militiamen have burnt down a village in the district of Ituri, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, forcing at least 1,500 residents to flee to nearby localities, Rudi Sterz, the interim coordinator of German Agro Action in the area told IRIN on Friday. The affected village, She, is 60 km northeast of Bunia, the main town in Ituri.

Scores of people are believed to have drowned after a cabin boat sank in the Kasai River on Monday near the town of Tshikapa in Kasai Oriental Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has held talks with key political leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to lessen tension within its government and save the democratic transitional process from collapse.

Since an announcement on Friday that the electoral commission of the Democratic Republic of Congo may not be able to hold elections by 30 June as scheduled, various political groups and officials involved in the transition have been accusing each other of causing the delay.

A comment by the head of the election commission on the possible delay of national elections sparked violent demonstrations on Monday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).