• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

French troops land in DR of Congo to help restore stability in Bunia - UN

6 June – The first unit of French troops from the United Nations-authorized multinational force landed in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today in a bid to help restore stability to the war-torn town of Bunia, the United Nations Organization Mission in the country (MONUC) said.

Although no exact number has been released, six to seven flights each day are expected to reinforce the French forces in the next few days, MONUC said. At least five British military personnel arrived with the French as an advanced unit to assess the practical participation of British soldiers in the international forces.

While commending the Security Council for its speedy decision to deploy the multinational force to protect civilians, the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) deplored recent reports that thousands of women and girls are being brutally raped, mutilated and killed in the Ituri province of the DRC.

"These attacks against innocent civilians are being committed with impunity," Executive Director Carol Bellamy said, calling on all actors - political and military - to put an end to such acts. She added that those who commit such horrific crimes must never forget they are accountable under international law.

Meanwhile, those who have fled the conflict in the DRC and sought refuge in Uganda's western border regions are now being relocated to a designated camp, thanks to the joint efforts of that country's Government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of the Congolese refugees are currently scattered across several fishing villages on the southern shores of Lake Albert, which separates the two countries.

The first relocation yesterday got off to a slow start when only 23 of an expected 250 refugees turned up for the pick-up, UNHCR said. An estimated 1,000 out of some 11,000 refugees have expressed a willingness to move away from the border to the refugee camp, hosting nearly 7,000 Congolese refugees.