Over ‘500’ dead in DRC

KINSHASA – Congo’s government acted prematurely in using force to quell violence in the capital, European Union ambassadors said on Tuesday, calling last week’s bloodshed a threat to the country’s nascent democracy.

Figures released by hospitals to Western aid organisations indicated the death toll from the clashes between security forces and the militia of a former warlord had surpassed 150. German Ambassador Karl-Albrecht Wokalek estimated that ‘victims’ numbered in the hundreds, saying there were ‘clear indications from hospitals and morgues that the number is between 200 and 600’.He did not clarify whether that figure referred to the number of dead, or the number of dead and injured.Last week’s gunbattles between ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba’s militia and government troops gave way to mortar fire that lasted through Friday night, when government forces regained control of the capital.Bemba claimed he was the target of an assassination attempt and said his men had not provoked the violence.British Ambassador Andrew Sparkes, one of several EU officials at the media briefing, said: “The recourse to force was premature.”He also called the government’s crackdown “totally disproportionate to their objective.”During the fighting, mortar rounds set fire to buildings, landing as far as 4 kilometres away in Brazzaville, the capital of the neighbouring Republic of Congo.The Spanish Embassy was shelled and an oil field on the outskirts of the capital was set ablaze.The government of President Joseph Kabila has said government forces were responding to an attempt by Bemba’s forces to take over part of the capital, calling it an attempted insurrection.The government issued an arrest warrant for Bemba, who has been holed up inside the South African Embassy since the fighting erupted.Bemba’s militia has begun disbanding, with about 200 turning themselves in to a local UN base, as demanded by the government.In a telephone interview from inside the embassy, Bemba called the government’s attack on his compound ‘well-prepared’, saying two battalions of government troops surrounded his house before the firing started.In Cape Town, South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad told reporters that Bemba could remain at the embassy ‘until he deems it fit to leave’, saying South Africa would not expel him despite a warrant for his arrest.Nampa-APGerman Ambassador Karl-Albrecht Wokalek estimated that ‘victims’ numbered in the hundreds, saying there were ‘clear indications from hospitals and morgues that the number is between 200 and 600’.He did not clarify whether that figure referred to the number of dead, or the number of dead and injured.Last week’s gunbattles between ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba’s militia and government troops gave way to mortar fire that lasted through Friday night, when government forces regained control of the capital.Bemba claimed he was the target of an assassination attempt and said his men had not provoked the violence.British Ambassador Andrew Sparkes, one of several EU officials at the media briefing, said: “The recourse to force was premature.”He also called the government’s crackdown “totally disproportionate to their objective.”During the fighting, mortar rounds set fire to buildings, landing as far as 4 kilometres away in Brazzaville, the capital of the neighbouring Republic of Congo.The Spanish Embassy was shelled and an oil field on the outskirts of the capital was set ablaze.The government of President Joseph Kabila has said government forces were responding to an attempt by Bemba’s forces to take over part of the capital, calling it an attempted insurrection.The government issued an arrest warrant for Bemba, who has been holed up inside the South African Embassy since the fighting erupted.Bemba’s militia has begun disbanding, with about 200 turning themselves in to a local UN base, as demanded by the government.In a telephone interview from inside the embassy, Bemba called the government’s attack on his compound ‘well-prepared’, saying two battalions of government troops surrounded his house before the firing started. In Cape Town, South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad told reporters that Bemba could remain at the embassy ‘until he deems it fit to leave’, saying South Africa would not expel him despite a warrant for his arrest.Nampa-AP