Rebels Continue Offensive in Eastern DRC
By VOA News
28 October 2008
Witnesses say government troops are retreating in the face of a rebel offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Officials and residents in Congo's North Kivu province say the sides clashed again Tuesday in several spots near Kibumba and Rutshuru, two towns north of the provincial capital, Goma.
Reports say rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda overran Kibumba on Monday, despite helicopter attacks by U.N. peacekeepers trying to stop the rebel advance.
Thousands of people from Kibumba and nearby villages have fled the fighting on foot toward Goma. The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday it expects 30,000 new arrivals at a camp near the capital.
The U.N.'s efforts have been hampered by attacks from locals, who are angry that the peacekeepers have failed to protect them from the fighting. At least two people were killed Monday when protesters tried to storm a U.N. compound.
The commander of the U.N. mission in Congo, Spanish Lieutenant General Vicente Diaz de Villegas, resigned from his post on Monday, for what the U.N. called "personal reasons." A Ghanian officer has taken over the post until a permanent replacement is named.
Nkunda's men launched their offensive against government forces on Sunday. The sides have fought numerous battles since late August, following the collapse of a January peace deal.
Nkunda says his militia is defending Tutsi civilians from Hutu fighters from neighboring Rwanda. The rebels accuse Congo's army of working with the Hutus.
North Kivu remains the most volatile area of a country still recovering from a devastating five-year civil war that ended in 2003.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
