French Troops Clash With Lendu Militia
Jun 24, 2003
BUNIA, DR Congo, Tuesday - French peace-keepers have exchanged gunfire with ethnic militia fighters in the war-torn town of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
BUNIA, DR Congo, Tuesday - French peace-keepers have exchanged gunfire with ethnic militia fighters in the war-torn town of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A BBC reporter in Bunia said the French troops rushed in to crush a suspected incursion by ethnic Lendu fighters.
The clash came as a deadline expired for the gunmen to disarm.
Most of the ethnic Hema fighters in control of Bunia have complied, but a small number have remained to protect the leadership, the BBC reported.
The north-eastern town has been wracked by fighting between rival ethnic factions, which has killed about 500 civilians in the past two months.
A French-led international peace-keeping force had given all armed groups until 1100 local time (0900 GMT) on Tuesday to pull out of the town or be forcibly disarmed.
“We need the multi-national force to protect us, so we can go back to our homes, our work, our fields,†Ngule Lombe-Yeye, a Bunia resident, said. Many families are talking about returning to their homes, but are not sure if the few hundred peace-keeping troops can ensure their security.
There are also reports that residents in at least one neighbourhood have fled, fearing revenge attacks from a rival militia.
Thomas Lubanga, the leader of the ethnic Hema Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) told Reuters news agency, “All our soldiers have left the town, apart from our bodyguards.â€
They have gone to camps outside the town at an unspecified location.
The international force, which currently numbers about 700 troops, has the authority to shoot and kill. On 16 June, a French patrol killed two militiamen after coming under fire in Bunia.
The force began deploying in the town on June 6 and will eventually number 1,500 soldiers.
It is supposed to reinforce about 750 UN troops who have been in Bunia since April.
Ethnic violence flared in the troubled north-eastern region of the DR Congo in April, when Uganda began withdrawing troops it had stationed there.
BBC
Ends
A BBC reporter in Bunia said the French troops rushed in to crush a suspected incursion by ethnic Lendu fighters.
The clash came as a deadline expired for the gunmen to disarm.
Most of the ethnic Hema fighters in control of Bunia have complied, but a small number have remained to protect the leadership, the BBC reported.
The north-eastern town has been wracked by fighting between rival ethnic factions, which has killed about 500 civilians in the past two months.
A French-led international peace-keeping force had given all armed groups until 1100 local time (0900 GMT) on Tuesday to pull out of the town or be forcibly disarmed.
“We need the multi-national force to protect us, so we can go back to our homes, our work, our fields,†Ngule Lombe-Yeye, a Bunia resident, said. Many families are talking about returning to their homes, but are not sure if the few hundred peace-keeping troops can ensure their security.
There are also reports that residents in at least one neighbourhood have fled, fearing revenge attacks from a rival militia.
Thomas Lubanga, the leader of the ethnic Hema Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) told Reuters news agency, “All our soldiers have left the town, apart from our bodyguards.â€
They have gone to camps outside the town at an unspecified location.
The international force, which currently numbers about 700 troops, has the authority to shoot and kill. On 16 June, a French patrol killed two militiamen after coming under fire in Bunia.
The force began deploying in the town on June 6 and will eventually number 1,500 soldiers.
It is supposed to reinforce about 750 UN troops who have been in Bunia since April.
Ethnic violence flared in the troubled north-eastern region of the DR Congo in April, when Uganda began withdrawing troops it had stationed there.
BBC
Ends