Congo Tribal Leader Says Troops Withdrew
The leader of the tribal faction in control of this troubled northeastern Congolese town said Monday all his fighters had withdrawn ahead of a deadline set by a U.N.-mandated international force.
But some residents said gunmen in civilian clothes remained in the Bunia, despite the deadline, which was set by the French-led force on Saturday and expires at 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Any gunmen who remain in town after that time will be disarmed, said French Brig. Gen. Jean-Paul Thonier, the commander of the force.
Regardless, Thomas Lubanga, the head of the Union of Congolese Patriots – a militia drawn from the Hema tribe – said “there are no more troops left in the town. Only bodyguards for myself and other officials are around.”
In at least one northern neighborhood dominated by the Hema, residents packed up their belongings Monday and fled for the safety of the U.N. compound in the center of town. The residents said they feared attack from rival Lendu gunmen once the Hema fighters pulled out.
The U.N. Security Council decided May 30 to send the international force to Bunia in a bid to stem tribal fighting that has killed more than 500 people in and around the town since the beginning of May.
The force, which will have up to 1,500 troops, is to be deployed in the town until Sept. 1.
It is supposed to reinforce 750 U.N. troops deployed in Bunia since April. The U.N. troops’ mandate permits them to fire only in self-defense, and they have not attempted to stem the fighting between rival Hema and Lendu factions.
The international force, however, is authorized to shoot to kill, and on June 16, special forces shot and killed two drunken gunmen in the town who had pointed their assault rifles at a French patrol.
Sunday, French troops fired on a group of armed men looting a pharmacy, said Col. Gerard Dubois, a spokesman for the force.
The French patrol returned fire at the five gunmen after being fired on with semi-automatic weapons and a hand grenade, he said. The grenade did not explode, there were no casualties and the looters escaped.
The emergency force began deploying June 6 in Bunia to secure the town and airport and to provide security for displaced people and aid agencies. So far, some 700 troops have deployed in Bunia, Dubois said.
Bunia is the capital of resource-rich Ituri province which has been the scene of some of the worst atrocities in the five-year-old civil war in Congo.
The war erupted in August 1998 when neighboring Rwanda and Uganda sent troops into Congo to support rebels seeking to oust then-Congolese President Laurent Kabila. They accused him of supporting insurgents from their countries whom they said were threatening regional security.
Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia sent troops to back government forces.
The foreign troops have withdrawn, but fighting between rival rebel and tribal factions continues in eastern and northern Congo.