Policeman Dead as DR Congo Army Repels Airport Assault

DR Congo's army repulsed an assault by gunmen on Lubumbashi airport in the south of the country Friday in which one member of the security services was killed, witnesses said.

The security agent died after gunfire erupted between the army and the unidentified attackers who launched their assault on the airport around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), said an Agence France Presse journalist at the scene.

The government said earlier they had yet to identify the attackers after the army fought off their bid to take control of the airport in the DR Congo's southeastern mining region of Katanga.

An airport source contacted by AFP had said earlier it appeared the attackers belonged to a "group of secessionists," without giving further details.

The airport is located about 12 kilometers (eight miles) from downtown Lubumbashi.

The city is the largest in Katanga, the country's principal mining region which holds 30 percent of the world's cobalt and 10 percent of its copper reserves as well as gold, uranium and pewter.