Eight UN soldiers were killed on Monday in a firefight with Ugandan rebels in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN mission to the country (MONUC) reported in Kinshasa. Five others were injured and taken by helicopter to hospital in Bunia, MONUC said. MONUC had previously said that 14 soldiers had been injured. The soldiers from Guatemala had been deployed to the so-called Garamba Park region in the north of the country for days to flush out Ugandan rebels hiding in the area. The two sides exchanged fire for four hours on Monday morning. The rebels were believed to be from Lords Resistance Army (LRA), which has been active in the north of Uganda for 20 years. Some LRA members are believed to have infiltrated northern Congo.| Time to let the Guatemalans have a free-fire zone against the LRA. |