The rebel delegation walks out of the peace talks

'They will only know we exist when we start shooting'

Latest developments:

• Cease-fire draft withdrawn
• 'The forces of liberty are continuing'
• Food, water scarce in Kinshasa
• Related stories and sites

VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A rebel delegation left a two-day summit of African leaders Tuesday without signing a cease-fire that would have ended the fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The delegation quit the talks, saying they would not agree to a truce without talking directly with the government of Congo President Laurent Kabila. Kabila has refused to meet face-to-face with the rebels.

"They will only know we exist when we start shooting," snapped rebel leader Bizima Karaha.

Karaha said the rebels support a cease-fire but added: "Because we have been excluded from this, we are not bound by it."

The delegation complained that it was harassed when it arrived at the airport Monday and was kept under guard in an unventilated room away from the other leaders. The rebels said they met only with the summit's chairman, Zambian President Frederick Chiluba.

Joseph Bideri, spokesman for Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu, said the talks broke up after Rwanda and Uganda -- which have been supporting the rebels -- failed to persuade the summit to meet with the rebels face to face.

"You can't talk about a cease-fire without talking to fighters," Bideri said. "It is going to be difficult to come to any meaningful cease-fire."

Cease-fire draft withdrawn

The rebels, who were excluded from two previous summits over the past month, had expected to meet with the presidents of Congo, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

From left to right: Congolese President Laurent Kabila listens to his Zambian counterpart, Frederick Chiluba, making a point to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at the peace talks

But according to George Charamba, spokesman for Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Chiluba shuttled between the two camps during the talks.

After the rebels left, according to Zimbabwean officials, a draft of a cease-fire agreement that the presidents had been expected to sign was withdrawn as the leaders bickered over the treatment of the rebels.

They decided that their defense ministers would meet at the Organization of African Unity (OAU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday to work out details of a cease-fire, the withdrawal of foreign troops and political reform in Congo.

OAU Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim said the aim is to reach a cease-fire that would ensure the continuation of Kabila's government, but also bring about democratic reforms.

Chiluba said he hoped the rebels would honor any agreement, saying: "People are dying and we must stop these hostilities."

'The forces of liberty are continuing'

Karaha, who sided with Kabila to oust veteran dictator Mobutu Sese Seko last year and then joined the rebels fighting Kabila, said he still hoped for a cease-fire.

"Unfortunately, the cease-fire is being done behind our back," he said. "The only Congolese who is there is Mr. Kabila, who has been killing people. We don't think Mr. Kabila can bring any better life for the people of the Congo.

"We believe in peace, we believe in negotiations, we even believe in a cease-fire," he said. "But as far as Kabila is concerned ... he should stop firing on our people."

Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma, deputy president of the rebels' political movement, the Congolese Democratic Coalition, said, "There will be no cease-fire before Kabila negotiates with us directly. We are going back home now to do one thing only, to intensify our campaign against Kabila."

Hundreds of soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict, which erupted on August 2. From their headquarters of Goma, in the eastern part of the country, the rebels said they were continuing to march west across the vast nation.

"The forces of liberty are continuing their advance on three fronts: Kindu, Kalemie and Kisangani," said a rebel statement.

The statement said the rebels were moving toward the village of Buta, 156 miles (250 kilometers) to the north of the jungle city of Kisangani.

Food, water scarce in Kinshasa

In Congo's capital of Kinshasa, European diplomats said that the government has asked Western countries to help set up an emergency air bridge to supply the embattled city. There was no sign, however, that authorities could guarantee the safety of aircraft from rebel troops outside the city.

The rebels were on the verge of taking Kinshasa last month before Zimbabwean, Angolan and Namibian troops helped Kabila blunt their offensive. Electricity was restored to the city only Tuesday, nearly a month after the rebels shut it off.

"There are not more than four days of food stocks left in Kinshasa," said Ibrahim Jabr, the resident head of the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.

"I don't see how a city of more than 5 million can go through this," he said. "Go visit hospitals and you will see growing cases of diarrhea because of the water problem. We're air-lifting water treatment chemicals, of which the capital needs 300 tons a week, and there is less than a week's supply left."

Congolese Justice Minister Mwenze Kongolo said that rebel prisoners -- men he identified as Rwandans -- could be in danger if their government does not admit its role in the war.

"If (Rwanda) continues to deny their presence on Congolese soil, we will treat these prisoners of war as if they do not exist," he said.

Congolese Foreign Minister Jean-Charles Okoto Lolakombe said Uganda has moved armored units, missiles and trucks deeper into eastern Congo. Rwanda and Uganda deny their troops are aiding the rebels.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.