Brazzaville (Fides Service) - "For seven months here in Pool there has been uninterrupted fighting while the world is indifferent. The silence of the western media, French in particular, is appalling." Bishop Louis Portella of Kinkala diocese in the Pool region of Congo, said this to Fides Service. In Pool there has been fighting since last March between the army and the Ninjas militia led by Frederic Bitgangou. "The region has been in the grip of violence for seven long months despite promises from the government that the rebellion would be repressed. Government troops are present en masse in Pool but the rebels continue undisturbed to harass civilians. We know they are supplied regularly with weaponry. And we ask who arms them? Why is the army unable to stop the rebels seeing that the entire country wants peace and does not support the rebels? Who is it that keeps the war going? Our diocese has also had its victims. Fr Yam Csuba milled at Loulombo on October 27, 1998, Fr Guy Nakavoua, killed in Brazzaville 21 December 1998 and Fr Jean Guth who died of hardship after being captured by rebels." (Fides Service 12/11/2002)