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| Africa: Subsaharan |
| Cease-Fire in Eastern Congo Fails |
| 2004-06-01 |
| Comes as a surprise, huh? Congolese soldiers fought troops loyal to a renegade commander near the eastern town of Bukavu on Tuesday, breaking a shaky cease-fire and spurring U.N. peacekeepers to try to negotiate an end to the violence, a U.N. spokesman said. Brig. Gen. Mbuza Mabe, the commander of the army in South Kivu, launched an attack on troops loyal to a former rebel commander, even after the former rebel had declared a cease-fire. Brig. Gen. Laurent Nkunda's troops had marched on Bukavu's airport Monday, but he declared an end to the conflict after the government set up arrangements in Congo's troubled South Kivu province to prevent the persecution of the minority Tutsi community, known as the Banyamulenge. But the government force attacked Nkunda's forces and the battle raged for five hours 15 miles north of Bukavu. The fighting only ended when Mabe withdrew. Nkunda said his forces suffered casualties, but he refused to discuss them in detail. Mabe did not answer repeated calls for comment. U.N. spokesman Sebastien Lapierre said a U.N. camp near the airport was struck by stray gunfire Tuesday, but no one was injured. He said U.N. troops were setting up checkpoints and conducting armored patrols in Bukavu to prevent fighting from breaking out inside the city. |
| Posted by:Fred |