Congo Kinshasa  
French troops land in eastern Congo

afrol News, 7 June - The first unit of French troops from the UU-authorised multinational force landed in north-eastern Congo Kinshasa (DRC) yesterday in a bid to help restore stability to the war-torn town of Bunia, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUC) reports.

Although no exact number has been released, six to seven flights each day are expected to reinforce the French forces in the next few days, MONUC said. At least five British military personnel arrived with the French as an advanced unit to assess the practical participation of British soldiers in the international forces.

The French government had sought the UN Security Council to give it a strong mandate to prevent further bloodshed in the troubled Ituri province at the Ugandan border. Local militia are reported to have massacred hundreds of civilians since occupying Ugandan troops had withdrawn earlier. There were fears of a genocide being prepared.

As the UN was discussing the possibility of sending an emergency force to face the north-eastern Congolese crisis, the French government had said it was willing to take command of that force. The details have been agreed upon in a hurry.

Only last week, the spokesman of the Paris Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not able to say when French troops were to leave for Bunia and which strength the contingent would have. He only could say: "We are aiming for quick deployment," and he supposed could send up to a battalion - up to about 700 men - to the troubled area.

Yesterday, the French government spokesman could confirm that French troops were underway and that they be deployed, logistically, "from the airport at Entebbe in Uganda." He further confirmed that the French-led operation would receive its main troops contribution from other European Union (EU) countries.

The total size of the multinational troops mission is not decided on yet, but French government sources speak of some 1,400 to 1,500 troops. It is expected that about half of these will be French and several hundreds will come from other EU countries. Also the South African government announced today, it would participate in the multinational troops.

Meanwhile, in the UN system, there are concerns about the situation of civilians in the troubled region. The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) deplored recent reports that thousands of women and girls are being brutally raped, mutilated and killed in the Ituri province of the Congo.

- These attacks against innocent civilians are being committed with impunity, Unicef Director Carol Bellamy said, calling on all actors - political and military - to put an end to such acts. She added that those who commit such horrific crimes must never forget they are accountable under international law.
 

Congolese refugees

Meanwhile, those who have fled the conflict in the Congo and sought refuge in Uganda's western border regions are now being relocated to a designated camp, thanks to the joint efforts of that country's government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of the Congolese refugees are currently scattered across several fishing villages on the southern shores of Lake Albert, which separates the two countries.

The first relocation yesterday got off to a slow start when only 23 of an expected 250 refugees turned up for the pick-up, UNHCR said. An estimated 1,000 out of some 11,000 refugees have expressed a willingness to move away from the border to the refugee camp, hosting nearly 7,000 Congolese refugees.

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