DRC, Rwanda play blame game
iAfrica.com - 1 day ago
Thu, 12 Jun 2014 7:38 AM
Congolese soldiers guard a military base.
The Rwandan and Congolese governments have blamed each other for an
outbreak of heavy fighting on the border between the two neighbours,
which are locked in a decades-long conflict.
The two sides exchanged machine gunfire on Wednesday, after what the
Congolese army said was the abduction of one of its soldiers by
Rwandan troops who had crossed the border into the restive province of
North Kivu.
The dawn skirmishes later escalated, with Congolese military officials
saying the sides had traded heavy weapons fire, while locals reported
"mortars and even rockets" being used through the afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the
abducted corporal had been killed, and blamed Rwandan troops.
Rwanda, meanwhile, accused Congolese troops of crossing into its
territory and opening fire on Rwandan soldiers.
Rwanda said four Congolese soldiers had been killed in the fighting -
the worst violence between the neighbours since October - but the
Congolese army denied this.
Congolese government spokesperson Lambert Mende admitted that a
Congolese soldier had crossed the border into Rwanda, but said he had
done so accidentally.
He accused Rwandan troops of gunning the soldier down in cold blood,
adding: "You can't kill someone for crossing a border."
The border situation was said to have become less violent by Wednesday evening.
'Restore security'
Martin Kobler, the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, said
the United Nations appealed for calm on both sides.
He called on Kinshasa and Kigali "to take immediate measures to
restore security" in the border area.
The two have long been at odds, with Rwanda repeatedly accused by the
United Nations and its neighbour of backing a rebellion by the M23
rebel group that temporarily seized control of parts of eastern DRC.
Rwanda last year accused the Congolese army of firing rockets and
mortar shells on its territory, and massed troops along its border in
response.
Rwanda fought against the central government in Kinshasa in Congo's
two wars in 1996-97 and 1998-2003, and has been involved in several
attempts to destabilise the country, backing uprisings by
Tutsi-dominated militias.
There are fears the latest violence could undermine international
efforts to bring stability to the DRC's mineral-rich but lawless east
after years of bloody conflict.
The clashes took place around 20 kilometres northeast of Goma, capital
of troubled North Kivu province, where rebels from a Hutu group linked
to the 1994 Rwandan genocide began surrendering last month.
The rebels are members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Rwanda (FDLR), which includes remnants of the militia that carried out
the genocide of at least 800 000 ethnic Tutsis.
The FDLR has around 1 500 men, according to UN estimates, or 4 000,
according to Kigali. They have been accused of widespread violence and
rights abuses in the DRC.
Western officials sought to play down the escalating rhetoric on
Wednesday, as Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the
country stood "ready to act to protect its citizens" against further
attacks.
"We are in contact with both governments and are trying to understand
exactly what happened... This is to reduce the tension," a senior
United Nations official told AFP.
A Western military source said no troops had been moved, and the
tensions were "localised".
Last year the Great Lakes regional body set up the Joint Verification
Mechanism (JVM) - a multinational team of military officers - to
defuse the M23 crisis.
A source at the JVM said a monitoring mission sent to assess the
fighting at Rwanda's request was forced to turn back to Goma "due to
tension in the area", and would remain there until the situation had
calmed down.
The Rwandan and Congolese governments have blamed each other for an
outbreak of heavy fighting on the border between the two neighbours,
which are locked in a decades-long conflict.
The two sides exchanged machine gunfire on Wednesday, after what the
Congolese army said was the abduction of one of its soldiers by
Rwandan troops who had crossed the border into the restive province of
North Kivu.
The dawn skirmishes later escalated, with Congolese military officials
saying the sides had traded heavy weapons fire, while locals reported
"mortars and even rockets" being used through the afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the
abducted corporal had been killed, and blamed Rwandan troops.
Rwanda, meanwhile, accused Congolese troops of crossing into its
territory and opening fire on Rwandan soldiers.
Rwanda said four Congolese soldiers had been killed in the fighting -
the worst violence between the neighbours since October - but the
Congolese army denied this.
Congolese government spokesperson Lambert Mende admitted that a
Congolese soldier had crossed the border into Rwanda, but said he had
done so accidentally.
He accused Rwandan troops of gunning the soldier down in cold blood,
adding: "You can't kill someone for crossing a border."
The border situation was said to have become less violent by Wednesday evening.
'Restore security'
Martin Kobler, the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, said
the United Nations appealed for calm on both sides.
He called on Kinshasa and Kigali "to take immediate measures to
restore security" in the border area.
The two have long been at odds, with Rwanda repeatedly accused by the
United Nations and its neighbour of backing a rebellion by the M23
rebel group that temporarily seized control of parts of eastern DRC.
Rwanda last year accused the Congolese army of firing rockets and
mortar shells on its territory, and massed troops along its border in
response.
Rwanda fought against the central government in Kinshasa in Congo's
two wars in 1996-97 and 1998-2003, and has been involved in several
attempts to destabilise the country, backing uprisings by
Tutsi-dominated militias.
There are fears the latest violence could undermine international
efforts to bring stability to the DRC's mineral-rich but lawless east
after years of bloody conflict.
The clashes took place around 20 kilometres northeast of Goma, capital
of troubled North Kivu province, where rebels from a Hutu group linked
to the 1994 Rwandan genocide began surrendering last month.
The rebels are members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Rwanda (FDLR), which includes remnants of the militia that carried out
the genocide of at least 800 000 ethnic Tutsis.
The FDLR has around 1 500 men, according to UN estimates, or 4 000,
according to Kigali. They have been accused of widespread violence and
rights abuses in the DRC.
Western officials sought to play down the escalating rhetoric on
Wednesday, as Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the
country stood "ready to act to protect its citizens" against further
attacks.
"We are in contact with both governments and are trying to understand
exactly what happened... This is to reduce the tension," a senior
United Nations official told AFP.
A Western military source said no troops had been moved, and the
tensions were "localised".
Last year the Great Lakes regional body set up the Joint Verification
Mechanism (JVM) - a multinational team of military officers - to
defuse the M23 crisis.
A source at the JVM said a monitoring mission sent to assess the
fighting at Rwanda's request was forced to turn back to Goma "due to
tension in the area", and would remain there until the situation had
calmed down. AFP
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