The Hindu : Fresh clashes in Congo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

International

International

Fresh clashes in Congo

BUNIA (Congo): A tribal faction attacked a troubled north-eastern Congolese town on Saturday in a bid to gain a foothold in the area before an international force arrives to stabilise the region wracked by violence. Hundreds of Lendu tribe fighters using assault rifles, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades launched dawn raids on positions controlled by the Union of Congolese Patriots, or UPC, a Hema tribe faction that currently controls Bunia. A day earlier, an advance party of French troops arrived in the area to prepare the ground for the arrival of the force intended to stabilise the region where thousands of people have been killed in fighting between rival tribal and rebel factions. The fighting forced hundreds of frightened residents to flee their homes. The fighting on Saturday was the first serious clash between the Hema and Lendu militia inside Bunia since the groups signed a cease-fire on May 16 (the picture shows rebel combatants taking cover during fighting in Bunia on Saturday).

— AP

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