DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Democratic Republic of Congo's army posts successes in battles against rebel forces

Soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo have retaken the villages of Karuba, Humure, and Ngungu from rebels, killing some 20 renegade fighters in two days of clashes in troubled North Kivu province, the army confirmed on Thursday (October 11). Troops loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda resumed combat with the army on Monday around Karuba, 30 km (20 miles) west of the provincial capital Goma, after abandoning a month-old ceasefire. Artillery and machinegun fire forced hundreds of families from their homes, worsening a humanitarian crisis in North Kivu where some 370,000 have fled fighting so far this year. Inhabitant of Karuba Jerome Ladi described how the rebels had terrorised the villagers. He said: "At night, the rebels were coming to our houses to get some food and take our personal belongings. In recent weeks they started to take our children, some school boys, and forced them to join the rebel troops." The deputy commander of government troops in North Kivu Delphin Kayimbi said heavy fighting was still raging on Thursday near Mushake, around 40 km (25 miles) west of the North Kivu provincial capital, Goma. North Kivu experienced two weeks of heavy clashes in August and early September after Nkunda's men deserted national army mixed brigades they joined as part of a January peace deal. Nkunda, who led a 2004 rebellion to protect Congo's Tutsi minority in the east, accuses President Joseph Kabila of supporting Rwandan Hutu rebels -- ethnic enemies of the Tutsi. Kabila denies supporting the rebels, who are accused of involvement in Rwanda's 1994 genocide that saw the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The United Nations brokered a limited Sept. 6 ceasefire between the army and Nkunda that lasted nearly a month, but the general broke it on Monday, accusing the army of attacking his forces. The U.N. peacekeeping force, MONUC, blame the renewed clashes on Nkunda. The government has given an October 15 ultimatum for Nkunda's troops to integrate into the national army or face tough action.

ITN Source | October 12, 2007

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