DRC: Thousands of people flee after violence in Eastern DR Congo

Thousands of people leave after heavy fighting between rebel and government forces in Eastern DR Congo, as the U.N. brokered a ceasefire deal. Democratic Republic of Congo's army and a renegade general have agreed to a U.N.-brokered ceasefire to halt more than a week of clashes in the east, the U.N. mission in Congo (MONUC) said on Thursday (September 6). The deal came as thousands of Tutsi fighters loyal to rebel commander General Laurent Nkunda appeared to have turned the tide on government forces, and were pressing ahead towards the regional capital Goma, sending thousands of civilians fleeing. Thousands of fleeing civilians packed the road towards Goma carrying what possessions they could carry with them, as dissident General Laurent Nkunda's troops neared Sake, just 20 km (12 miles) from Goma, by early afternoon, before the ceasefire was announced. But Sylvie Van Den Wildenberg, U.N. spokeswoman in North Kivu, said they had not entered the town. One of the refugees seeking shelter described his experience. "We weren't in the middle of fighting, but we heard shooting and bombs exploding. We don't know if the soldiers are running away or just moving quarters. Maybe it's a military strategic move, or maybe the enemy has already occupied some territory, we don't know," Bachali Buleno said. A Reuters witness saw hundreds of retreating government troops with the fleeing refugees. Military sources with Congo's 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission said it was unclear who held the upper hand in the fighting, after an army offensive drove Nkunda out of several key positions since last week. An army helicopter gunship was damaged on Wednesday (September 5) during an attack near Nkunda's headquarters some 60 km (38 miles) north of Goma, and it was not clear whether army troops were receiving air support. Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murgande, visiting the Congolese capital Kinshasa for the first time in three years on Monday (September 3), offered to mediate talks with Nkunda but Congo declined. In January, Rwanda helped broker a ceasefire that brought thousands of Nkunda's fighters into mixed army brigades in what was billed as a step towards ending his three-year insurgency. The deal was a failure and the former renegades soon unleashed a campaign of terror against North Kivu's civilian population, forcing an estimated 224,000 people to flee their homes since the beginning of the year. Last month, Nkunda loyalists abandoned the mixed brigades, and attacked army positions in Katale, 60 km (38 miles) northwest of Goma. Analysts and diplomats say the seven-month truce has left Nkunda stronger than ever, allowing his soldiers, who he claims number more than 8,000, to draw government salaries and deploy in positions they never succeeded in occupying by force. U.N. and humanitarian agencies believe between 10,000 and 40,000 people have fled fighting in recent weeks, raising the total number of displaced in North Kivu to around 700,000.

ITN Source | September 7, 2007

Tags:. .population. .clashes. .estimated. .helicopter. .rebel