Huambo 'strewn with the dead'

LUANDA (Reuter) - A radio report from the central Angolan city of Huambo said the city was under constant shelling and the streets were full of decomposing bodies from fighting between government troops and Unita rebels.

Delegations from the two sides were expected to leave for talks in Ethiopia last night or today, but diplomats doubted whether the meeting would achieve very much.

An Angolan journalist, William Tonet, who has been trapped in Huambo since early January, said the bombardment was constant and residents were in danger whether they stayed at home or went out to look for food. Mr Tonet estimated that 10,000-13,000 people had been killed in the city, but said it was difficult to know for sure.