THOUSANDS of Democratic Republic of Congo soldiers have “invaded” the border town of Zemio in the Central African Republic, where they are robbing and raping residents, the town’s MP said on Wednesday. On January 8, several thousand soldiers from DRC “invaded (Zemio) … where they now behave as if they are on conquered territory,” said member of parliament Charles-Armel Doubane. Some of the officers who crossed with the soldiers returned to the DRC, leaving “most of the force” in Zemio, where they “are harassing, looting, raping, mocking and humiliating Central Africans, who have become victims of their own hospitality,” the MP charged. Independent sources in the CAR capital Bangui confirmed Doubane’s account, but said that the troops of DRC President Laurent Kabila had fled the neighbouring country’s Gbadolite region ahead of feared rebel advances.