Congo rebels flee to Rwanda
Jun 22, 2004
A dissident officer in the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Colonel Jules Mutebusi, fled with just over 300 of his men to Rwanda, where they were disarmed by local authorities, a Rwandan army spokesman told <b>AFP </b>on Tuesday.
A dissident officer in the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Colonel Jules Mutebusi, fled with just over 300 of his men to Rwanda, where they were disarmed by local authorities, a Rwandan army spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.
“Mutebusi is here, he came last evening from Kamanyola with 305 men. They crossed with their weapons and were disarmed here,†said the spokesman, Colonel Patrick Karegeya, in this town on the border with the DRC.
Another officer, Brigadier General Caesar Kayizari, said the DRC soldiers were now “in a place between 15 and 20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) from the borderâ€, towards Butare.
The incident came after Kinshasa government troops and renegade soldiers again clashed near the border between the two countries, sparking fears of new conflict between the two states.
The United States said on Monday it had sent a top official to Congo and Rwanda in an effort to stop border tensions flaring into a fresh conflict.
“We are deeply concerned about the build-up of forces in eastern Congo,†said US State Department spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg, announcing the diplomatic mission by deputy Assistant Secretary of State Donald Yamamoto.
“We call upon all parties involved...to refrain from any act which might exacerbate tension or heighten the risk of further conflict,†Greenberg said.
On Monday, the DRC army announced it had retaken Kamanyola, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Bukavu, the Sud-Kivu provincial capital which men led by Mutebusi and a fellow dissident officer captured and held for a week this month.
The other officer, General Laurent Nkunda, justified the takeover saying fellow Congolese Tutsis in the area were victims of a “genocide†perpetrated by government forces.
A UN investigation found no grounds for the claim.
After peacefully pulling out of Bukavu on June 9, Nkunda’s men headed to Minovoa, a town about 50 kilometres to the north.
Monday’s clashes involved the RCD, a former rebel group which Rwanda backed during the 1998-2003 war in which hundreds were killed.
Ends
“Mutebusi is here, he came last evening from Kamanyola with 305 men. They crossed with their weapons and were disarmed here,†said the spokesman, Colonel Patrick Karegeya, in this town on the border with the DRC.
Another officer, Brigadier General Caesar Kayizari, said the DRC soldiers were now “in a place between 15 and 20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) from the borderâ€, towards Butare.
The incident came after Kinshasa government troops and renegade soldiers again clashed near the border between the two countries, sparking fears of new conflict between the two states.
The United States said on Monday it had sent a top official to Congo and Rwanda in an effort to stop border tensions flaring into a fresh conflict.
“We are deeply concerned about the build-up of forces in eastern Congo,†said US State Department spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg, announcing the diplomatic mission by deputy Assistant Secretary of State Donald Yamamoto.
“We call upon all parties involved...to refrain from any act which might exacerbate tension or heighten the risk of further conflict,†Greenberg said.
On Monday, the DRC army announced it had retaken Kamanyola, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Bukavu, the Sud-Kivu provincial capital which men led by Mutebusi and a fellow dissident officer captured and held for a week this month.
The other officer, General Laurent Nkunda, justified the takeover saying fellow Congolese Tutsis in the area were victims of a “genocide†perpetrated by government forces.
A UN investigation found no grounds for the claim.
After peacefully pulling out of Bukavu on June 9, Nkunda’s men headed to Minovoa, a town about 50 kilometres to the north.
Monday’s clashes involved the RCD, a former rebel group which Rwanda backed during the 1998-2003 war in which hundreds were killed.
Ends