CONGO-DEM.REPUBLIC 17/7/2004 12:19 CLASHES IN EAST, THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS FLEEING FROM KALEHE General, Standard It is still unclear how many people have died in the clashes between renegade soldiers and regular army troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the last few days. Local sources told MISNA this morning that thousands of civilians ?probably over 5.000 ?fled from the Kalehe area on Lake Kivu, around 40 kilometres north of the city of Bukavu, following violent fighting at the start of the week. The clashes involve the rebel troops led by General Laurent Nkunda ?a key commander in the Rwandan-backed rebel movement RCD-Goma (Congolese Rally for Democracy), which controlled this part of ex Zaire for a long time ?and the soldiers of the tenth military command of the unified Congolese army. æeople are afraid that Kalehe might become the scene of new fighting; this is why so many have already set off towards Goma and Bukavu,?explains a MISNA source contacted in situ. Thousands of Congolese soldiers are stationed in the city and surrounding areas, where they reportedly pester the population, asking for money, stealing animals to eat and causing disruption to civilians, forcing many people to leave. The same source adds that on Monday the two sides clashed violently in the area of Haut Plateau, where the Interahamwe ?the Rwandan extremists accused of the 1994 genocide and who have been hiding in the impenetrable jungle in this part of Congo for years ?are also present. æe do not know exactly how many people have died, but we know that fighting has been extremely intense,?continues the source. Radio Okapi, the radio of the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC), said today that many people have died in the fighting. Nkundaæ soldiers attacked Kalehe on 12-13 June, after they had been forced out of the city of Bukavu by the government forces. On that occasion, the hospital, child nutrition centre and the parish church were looted. Yesterday, the international community expressed ærave concern?over the instability of the eastern region of Congo, calling on the transition government in Kinshasa ?established in July 2003 and which includes the former rebels ?to assess æisciplinary or other sanctions?to end Nkundaæ insubordination, which is jeopardising the already difficult peace process in Congo. [LC]
