Congolese rebel leader apologizes for shooting of UN helicopter
31 October -- A rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has apologized for an incident in which a United Nations helicopter was hit by small arms fire, a UN spokesman announced today.
There were no casualties when the helicopter was hit yesterday over the town of Zongo in the northern part of the DRC. It later landed safely at Bangui airport.
According to a UN spokesman, the leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, Jean-Pierre Bemba, telephoned the Secretary-General's Special Representative in the country and apologized for the incident, explaining that the shooting was a "personal lapse by one soldier who had been arrested and would be put on trial." The spokesman added that Mr. Bemba promised a written apology and gave assurances that UN aircraft could continue to fly without restrictions over territory his group controlled.
Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today its staff in the DRC were preparing for an influx of up to 18,000 refugees from neighbouring Angola.
According to UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski, the agency has received reports that between 15,000 and 18,000 displaced Angolans have gathered in border villages waiting to cross into the DRC. "They are fleeing intensified clashes between government forces and UNITA rebels in Angola's Lunda Norte province," he told a briefing in Geneva.
The new arrivals are expected to cross into the DRC border town of Kahemba, where UNHCR is already looking after 10,000 Angolan refugees.
The agency faces difficulty getting food and other supplies into the area because of fuel shortages and muddy roads, Mr. Janowski said, adding that more supplies would be sent by road next week because air transport is not possible due to the shortage of aircraft fuel in the DRC.
The new arrivals will add to the 170,000 Angolan refugees currently being hosted by the DRC who fled during earlier stages of Angola's civil war.
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