CONGO-DEM.REPUBLIC 21/6/2004 11:02 SOUTH KIVU CRISIS: FIGHTING CONTINUES, OVER 30-THOUSAND CIVILIANS FLEE TO BURUNDI General, Standard The fighting continues in Kamanyola, the village of South Kivu (province of east Democratic Republic of Congo) theatre to over two weeks of clashes between a group of âdissidentâ soldiers and the new Congolese unified armed forces. As reported by MISNA sources, early yesterday morning there were serious fears that the fighting had even spread to Luvungi, another town a few dozen kilometres away, where calm instead returned in the afternoon. The Radio Okapi network of the United Nations Mission in DR-Congo (MONUC) confirmed that âviolent fightingâ is underway in Kamanyola, where the Congolese army is engaged in an effort to defeat the ârebelâ soldiers of Colonel Jules Mutebusi (protagonists of the violence that afflicted Bukavu from the end of May to mid June) that are now apparently surrounded. The reports emerging from the field are however fragmentary and divergent: according to some sources, regular forces have already regained control of Kamanyola; while according to others, the sides have been engaged for days in a sort of âdanceâ of strategic advances and withdrawals. The zone remains practically inaccessible and the little information available comes from fleeing civilians. Based on an estimate issued yesterday by the UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) 31,000 Congolese have crossed the border in the past days seeking refuge in Burundi. âThe residents of Kamanyola, Luvungi, Lukisi and other villages of the zone, around 40km south of Bukavu, chose to cross the river and seek refuge in Burundi. Kivu authorities invited the civilians to return home, but for the moment no one daresâ, explained a MISNA source. Meanwhile, the Burundian government yesterday referred to not be able to handle a larger flow of refugees in its territory, claiming to be already facing serious difficulties in confronting the emergency of the past days. Reports are also multiplying of the presence of Congolese troops throughout the east of the nation. Last Wednesday MISNA reported the arrival of at least 2,000 Kinshasa soldiers in Uvira, city of South Kivu along the banks of Lake Tanganika. In the past hours, diplomats and UN sources reported the deployment of at least 10,000 Congolese regular soldiers along the borders with Rwanda (in the cities of Beni, Kalemie and Kindu) and Uganda. Voices and information that caused Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murigande to accuse Kinshasa of preparing an attack against Kigali aided by Rwandan elements that fled to DR-Congo ten years ago after taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. âThis large-scale deployment of soldiers and Rwandan rebels along the border presents a serious threat to our nation. We will certainly not sit and watch, we have a nation and population to defendâ, stated Kigaliâs Foreign Minister. [BO]
