Army seizes drug-cartel arms

The Mexican army on Friday announced that it has made the largest seizure of drug-cartel weapons in Mexico’s history.

The cache of 540 rifles, 165 grenades, 500,000 rounds of ammunition and 14 sticks of TNT were seized on Thursday at a house in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, Mexican Assistant Attorney General Marisela Morales said.

The weapons in this latest seizure belonged to the Gulf drug cartel, an official said.

It was unclear whether the raid was related to an FBI intelligence report obtained by a Texas newspaper in October that warned the Gulf cartel was stockpiling high-powered weapons in Reynosa to prepare for possible confrontations with U.S. law enforcement.

Goma, Congo

Thousands flee during brief fight

A shaky cease-fire in eastern Congo ruptured again Friday when a brief skirmish between rebels and government troops sent thousands of civilians fleeing a displacement camp as they lined up to receive food aid.

In what is becoming a sadly familiar scene, panicked families ran at the first sound of gunfire, dashing toward the city of Goma.

U.N. peacekeeping officials said the skirmish started when a squad of rebels fired their guns in the air. Fearing they were under attack, government troops lobbed artillery shells and mortars at the rebels, prompting a 40-minute battle.

“It was an accident,” said U.N. spokesman Col. Jean Paul Dietrich. He said peacekeeping troops responded, and the situation quickly was contained.

Rebel leader Gen. Laurent Nkunda last week declared a cease-fire, but clashes have resumed in recent days.