No mention of the existence of the city of Lodja in the Kivu region, no information about Lodja being taken by rebel forces in 2001, and no mention of the two members of the armed forces named in the Information Request could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, a number of information sources indicated that the town of Lodja is located in the province of Eastern Kasai (AFP 14 Sept. 1999; Demain Le Congo 29 Mar. 2002; ICRC 19 Sept. 2001; The World Gazetteer 2003).

Lodja was reportedly seized by rebels from the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie, RCD) in April 1999 (AFP 14 Sept. 1999; ibid. 12 Apr. 1999; Demain Le Congo 29 Mar. 2002) and, according to sources published between 2000 and 2002, it remained under the control of this rebel faction (Economica 7 Aug. 2002; Demain Le Congo 29 Mar. 2002; IRIN 7 Sept. 2001; AFP 22 July 2000).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 22 July 2000. "Les rebelles congolais assurent ne pas tirer grand profit des diamants." (NEXIS)

_____. 14 September 1999. Emmanuel Goujon. "Les mouvements de troupes rebelles se poursuivent dans le Kasaï." (NEXIS)

_____. 12 April 1999. "Rebels Claim Further Strategic Gain in DR Congo." (NEXIS)

Demain Le Congo [Kinshasa]. 29 March 2002. Raph W. Kasembe. "La famine chasse les rebelles de Katako-Kombe au Sankuru." http://www.digitalcongo.net/fullstory.php?id=10013 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2003]

Economica [Kinshasa]. 7 August 2002. "La guerre a privé la RDC d'énormes recettes d'exportation et de taxes en trois ans." http://digitalcongo.net/fullstory.php?id=15142 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2003]

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). 7 September 2001. "Congo-Kinshasa; Rebel Group 'Willing to Demilitarise' Kisangani." (AN/NEXIS)

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 19 September 2001. "Faits et chiffres sur les activités du CICR à Goma." http://www.icrc.org/Web/fre/sitefre0.nsf/iwpList98/076EDF2E5B8E25D5C1256C750043C074 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2003]

The World Gazetteer. 2003. "Congo (Dem. Rep.)." http://www.world-gazetteer.com/c/c_cd.htm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2003]

Africa Confidential [London] 2001.

Africa Research Bulletin 2001.

Info-Congo/Kinshasa 2001.

IRB databases.

Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent 2001.

LEXIS/NEXIS

Internet sites, including:

Africatime.

Allafrica.

BBC Africa.

Congonline.

Digitalcongo.net.

Médias congolais.

MISNA.

ReliefWeb.

Le Soir [Brussels].

Search engines, including:

Google.

Lokace.

Lycos.