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Nairobi
09 April 2009
As the U.N. Security Council prepared to discuss the situation in
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, gunmen attacked the town of
Uvira, near the border with Burundi, and a human rights group
criticized the Congolese military's actions in its campaign against a
Rwandan militia in the region.
In the early morning hours,
gunmen attacked the city of Uvira, on Lake Tanganyika, near Congo's
border with Burundi. The attackers raided a jail in the town, freeing
nearly all of the more than 100 prisoners.
Clashes with
government forces left at least nine dead, including six attackers and
two soldiers. The situation had reportedly returned to calm by the
afternoon.
The governor of South Kivu province, Louis Muderhwa,
said the attackers belonged to different armed groups operating in the
region.
He
said the attackers' objective appeared to be to free members of their
groups from the prison in Uvira, and that members of the National
Liberation Forces, a Burundian rebel group, were involved in the
assault. He said that four Burundian citizens were captured.
The
U.N.-backed Radio Okapi also reported that members of the Democratic
Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia,
were also involved in the attack.
Congolese soldiers have been
pursuing the FDLR since mid-January. The initial operation was led by
Rwandan troops, who left the country at the end of February.
On
Thursday, as the U.N. Security Council was set to discuss the
instability in eastern Congo, the New York-based organization Human
Rights Watch said that both rebels and government soldiers have
targeted civilians during the operation.
Researcher Anneke Van Woudenberg spoke to VOA from London.
"We
now know that at least 180 civilians have been killed, most of them by
the Rwandan Hutu militias, but also that Congolese army soldiers are
themselves, as part of looting sprees killing people and raping a lot
of women," said Van Woudenberg.
The Congolese military is
planning a renewed offensive against the FDLR, which according to Human
Rights Watch, has regained much of the ground it lost during the
Rwandan-led operation.
"Now we
know that the Congolese army is gearing up for the next phase of its
military operation, but they are sending their troops to the front line
without salary payment, without logistical support, without food," added Van Woundenberg. "And
we are deeply concerned about what that will mean for local populations
and what is being done to ensure that people are protected as part of
these military operations and not being targeted."
The
U.N. peacekeeping force plans to support the upcoming offensive. Human
Rights Watch called for the U.N. to increase its efforts to ensure that
civilians are not targeted in operations with U.N. involvement.
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