More than 100 000 Congolese have fled renewed fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo army and rebels in the battle-torn east of the country, United Nations officials said on Monday.
The civilians trekked deep into the mountainous jungle to escape weekend fighting around the deserted farming town of Kanyabayonga.
Rebel forces gained ground, pushing government troops back 40km and taking control of two more villages.
”Conservatively, more than 100 000 people have run from their homes because of the fighting in the past few days,” said Patrick Lavand’Homme of the UN’s office for the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
”With these new people, it means we have 800 000 displaced people in North Kivu province. Most are from fighting earlier this year and even last year.”
He said that humanitarian groups were finding it difficult to assist all the refugees. ”The soldiers are looting people’s homes. There is no security.”
The confusion surrounding the new fighting had also threatened the UN’s efforts to move ahead with its peace plan for the area.
Eastern DRC, rich in gold, diamonds and minerals and home to a myriad of armed factions, has been the scene of considerable fighting over the past four years. Its border with Rwanda is at the root of many of the troubles.
Joseph Kabila’s government has blamed Rwanda for backing the rebels. The Rwandan government replies that it only sent troops to fight its own Hutu militia rebels who had crossed over the border.
UN officials said the rebels who pushed the Congolese army back in fierce fighting on Sunday appeared to have foreign assistance.
”It is difficult to know if the rebels are Congolese or Rwandan,” said Jacqueline Chenard, a UN spokesperson in the provincial capital, Goma. ”They speak the same language and they wear the same uniforms, but the people say they are foreigners.
”It appears the fighting stopped early [yesterday], but it is not certain when it will start up again,” she said.
The Congolese government sent a new commander, General Gabriel Amisi, to strengthen the government’s response to the rebels. Popularly known as ”Tango 4”, General Amisi is a veteran of fighting around the Kisingani area.
The Congolese army has low morale and is plagued by attacks from groups that have split from it. Army trucks ferried wounded soldiers from the fighting through Kayna over the weekend.
Representatives of the DRC’s fragile transitional government and special representatives of the UN and neighbouring countries are scheduled to meet in Goma today to discuss progress on the peace plan, according to UN officials. They fear the new fighting will scupper the peace efforts.
The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of having already launched incursions to support the renegade fighters, a charge Kigali has denied.
Rwanda’s foreign minister said late on Sunday that his country was withdrawing its threat to enter the DRC, saying it was up to the international community to disarm the Hutu extremists based there.
The Congolese government met the Rwandan statement with scepticism. ”We don’t have that much confidence in this declaration. Rwanda has to first of all withdraw its troops from the DRC before withdrawing the threat,” said the Information Minister, Henri Mova Sakanyi, according to Reuters.
Earlier this month the UN said it had evidence that Rwandan soldiers carrying new military hardware had crossed into the country.
”At the moment we are at a very serious stage,” said a UN military source in the capital, Kinshasa, according to Reuters. ”The next few days are going to be quite critical.” – Guardian Unlimited Â