Fighting resumes in eastern DRC

GOMA – Fighting between soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) army and forces loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda resumed early yesterday after clashes the day before claimed at least eight lives, military sources said.

Heavy weapons fire began about 03:30 GMT near Sake, in the restive province of Nord-Kivu, the site of Saturday’s battle, said a Congolese army officer who requested anonymity. Seven soldiers and one civilian were killed Saturday, the officer told AFP.There were no reports yet of casualties in yesterday fighting.”The 11th Integrated Brigade has received reinforcement….They have launched an attack against the 81st and 83rd Brigades to push them back,” explained Major Ajay Dalal, military spokesman for the UN mission in DRC (MONUC) in Nord-Kivu.”Last night it was calm.Only at two places was firing heard, not prolonged, only for a few minutes,” Dalal told AFP from Goma, Nord-Kivu’s largest town.Dalal added that MONUC had sent a half-sized battalion of 700 to 2 000 soldiers in support, specifying that the blue helmets had not been involved in any of the fighting so far reported.The sequence of events that provoked the fighting remains unclear.Violence broke out after elements from the 81st and 83 Brigades erected roadblocks in the Sake region to demand the back payment of unpaid wages.The clashes also followed Friday’s murder in Sake of a Congolese Tutsi by a police officer during a search.The dissident general, Nkunda, of the Tutsi tribe, warned in September that he would defend his Tutsi “brothers” if they were “threatened”.He is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity while his men briefly controlled the eastern city of Bukavu in 2004.Between 15 000 and 20 000 civilians fled their homes due to the fighting, MONUC reported.The violence in eastern DRC comes as tension remains high in the capital Kinshasa after deadly post-election violence.The Supreme Court is expected today to give its verdict on a challenge to the presidential run-off election results by Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba.The independent electoral commission (CEI) had declared a victory for his opponent, incumbent President Joseph Kabila with 58,05 per cent of votes cast.Nampa-AFPSeven soldiers and one civilian were killed Saturday, the officer told AFP.There were no reports yet of casualties in yesterday fighting.”The 11th Integrated Brigade has received reinforcement….They have launched an attack against the 81st and 83rd Brigades to push them back,” explained Major Ajay Dalal, military spokesman for the UN mission in DRC (MONUC) in Nord-Kivu.”Last night it was calm.Only at two places was firing heard, not prolonged, only for a few minutes,” Dalal told AFP from Goma, Nord-Kivu’s largest town.Dalal added that MONUC had sent a half-sized battalion of 700 to 2 000 soldiers in support, specifying that the blue helmets had not been involved in any of the fighting so far reported.The sequence of events that provoked the fighting remains unclear.Violence broke out after elements from the 81st and 83 Brigades erected roadblocks in the Sake region to demand the back payment of unpaid wages.The clashes also followed Friday’s murder in Sake of a Congolese Tutsi by a police officer during a search.The dissident general, Nkunda, of the Tutsi tribe, warned in September that he would defend his Tutsi “brothers” if they were “threatened”.He is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity while his men briefly controlled the eastern city of Bukavu in 2004.Between 15 000 and 20 000 civilians fled their homes due to the fighting, MONUC reported.The violence in eastern DRC comes as tension remains high in the capital Kinshasa after deadly post-election violence.The Supreme Court is expected today to give its verdict on a challenge to the presidential run-off election results by Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba.The independent electoral commission (CEI) had declared a victory for his opponent, incumbent President Joseph Kabila with 58,05 per cent of votes cast.Nampa-AFP