United Nations helicopters and peacekeepers on Monday opened fire against rebels after coming under attack in and around the volatile eastern town of Sake in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a spokesperson for the UN mission in the DRC (Monuc) said.
Forces loyal to a rebel general seized part of Sake on Sunday in heavy fire fights with government soldiers, putting thousands of civilians to flight.
”Monuc troops were threatened by effective fire by 81st and 83rd brigades [dissident troops loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda],” said Monuc military spokesperson Major Ajay Dalal.
”Attack helicopters fired on 81st and 83rd soldiers” in Sake and a few kilometres east in Kasingazi, he added. ”Ground troops have also opened fire on both fronts.”
There were no Monuc casualties, Dalal said. There were no casualty figures for the rebels.
Sake, partly under UN control, is located about 25km north-west of the town of Goma, capital of DRC’s restive north-eastern Goma province.
On Sunday, Monuc and humanitarian agencies reported that between 15 000 and 20 000 civilians had fled their homes due to the fighting there.
Clashes are frequent between government forces and soldiers loyal to Nkunda, who is based in the Masisi mountains north of Sake, but Saturday’s attack was the first major offensive by these rebels in months.
Monuc sent a half-battalion of soldiers — at least 700 men — to reinforce its presence in Sake, Dalal said this weekend. The UN troops were not involved in any of the weekend fighting, but at one point fired warning shots as rebel fighters advanced. — AFP
