KINSHASA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Police of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have taken control of the town of Dongo in Equateur province, where a clash between two tribes killed dozens of officers coming to intervene last month, the authorities announced on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Congolese National Police (PNC) declared in the capital Kinshasa that Dongo is now under the control of the PNC who neutralized the assailants from both Enyele and Monzaya tribes.

The spokesman, who identified himself as the PNC general inspector, said a rapid response unit which was dispatched from Kinshasa managed to take control of Dongo at midnight, after having besieged the Enyeles who were the main players in the inter-ethnic insurgency and who benefited from the demobilized members of the DRC armed forces in their nasty job.

"Now is the time to carry out a cleanup, to pursue and to search for the main culprits in the insurgency so that they can face justice," the spokesman said.

He appealed to all the people who had fled the inter-ethnic confrontations to either neighboring villages or the Republic of Congo to return home, pledging security in the region.

The dispute between the two tribes over fishing rights could be traced back to 1940 and is the fifth ever since. The clash last broke out in April. Up to 100 people were killed in the latest flare-up, including more than 40 police officers. The confrontation also displaced more than 10,000 people, causing humanitarian problems.