Liberation turns to looting as anarchy reigns in Congo   Â

Four years of war have brought little to celebrate in this bedraggled fishing town in eastern Congo. But when the Mayi-Mayi descended from the surrounding hills to take control just over three weeks ago, there was an explosion of joy.

Women and children ran on to the streets waving lengths of rainbow-coloured cloth. There were bursts of gunfire and cries of "Welcome to our liberators!".

"It was like the Bible scene where Jesus enters Jerusalem," said Clement Lyamu, a 24-year-old student.

A week later Uvira suffered a second "liberation". The Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), Congo's largest – and most detested – rebel group, regained control. Looting and repression followed immediately, soldiers pillaging entire neighbourhoods at gunpoint. About 100 suspected Mayi-Mayi collaborators were beaten and locked up, and scores of young men fled for the hills.

"That time, it seemed that a wake had started," said Mr Lyamu, one of many residents who cowered in their houses.

In Congo, peace is promised but war continues. Under a landmark peace deal reached last July, the armies of Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have pulled out. In the capital, Kinshasa, President Joseph Kabila has started pursuing the killers responsible for the 1994 genocide – a key Rwandan demand. And negotiations in distant South Africa are lurching towards a transitional government that could bring Congo its first proper elections since independence in 1960.

But in the conflict-cursed east, peace is a distant dream. Far behind the now quiet front line, the war between government and rebels has spawned a web of smaller conflicts. Most show no sign of abating. To the north, bitter rivalry between the Hema and Lendu tribes has produced a series of bloodbaths. Further south, the Mayi-Mayi have capitalised on the Rwandan withdrawal to gain ground and hearts.

A loose grouping of tribal militias, the Mayi-Mayi are united by a belief that magic water can fend off enemy bullets. But the brutal RCD occupation of eastern Congo – characterised by murder, theft and widespread rape – has turned them into a self-defence force for many Congolese.

"The Mayi-Mayi, it is all of us. It is our sons and our daughters," explained a community leader in Uvira, who asked not to be named.

Hatred for the RCD is matched only by contempt for their Rwandan sponsors, who have systematically plundered Congo's natural wealth – including diamonds, gold and coltan, a precious mineral used to make mobile phones.

The Rwandans have gone but the theft may not be over. According to a recent UN report, almost all the departing foreign armies have left behind "elite criminal networks" to continue the plunder.

A group of British backbenchers echoed the findings yesterday, calling on Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development, to use British aid to Rwanda and Uganda to stop the abuses.

The Mayi-Mayi also stand accused of serious human rights abuses. In many areas their forces prey on local people, particularly woman, as much as the RCD. When they entered Uvira, five women were raped and one old man was killed.

But by Congo's terrible standards, it was a low toll. In fact for the remainder of their week-long stay, residents said the Mayi-Mayi were well behaved – so much so that they even cleared their bar bill.

"I couldn't believe it," said one restaurant owner, who is still owed $2,000 by the RCD.

Fighting later moved 10 miles south to the fishing village of Makobola. The RCD captured a hilltop position, from where it was trying to push the Mayi-Mayi back. Commander Gabriel Amisi, also known as Tango Fort, was leading the offensive.

Despite his small frame and baby face, Tango Fort has a fierce reputation. Human Rights Watch has called for his arrest on war crimes charges following a wave of RCD-led mutilation and murder in Kisangani last May.

"It is all lies," the said in an interview. "I don't like to kill civilians. There was a confrontation, and we neutralised it militarily. That is it."

As ever, civilians are suffering the greatest casualties. More than 2.5 million people are estimated to have died in Congo, and last week Kamana Mushombe became another statistic.

The 21-year-old fisherman from Makabola had been caught in the crossfire of a battle between RCD and Mayi-Mayi. His body lay in the dark corner of a hut, surrounded by mourning relatives.

"We cannot take any more of these aggressors," declared his cousin, Henry Munyindu. "If it was just us Congolese, this war would have been over a long time ago."