Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bukavu (Fides Service)- Hundreds perhaps thousands are fleeing the area of Kanyabayonga 160km north of Goma in North Kivu where violent fighting broke out yesterday. “The fighting is between RCD rebels and regular army troops sent from Kinshasa, elements of the Rwandan army and Mai Mai militia local sources told Fides”. RCD Goma the main rebel group in east Congo is backed by neighbouring Rwanda which has sent troops into Congo to disarm Rwandan Hutu militia with camps in Congo and which Kigali sees as a threat to national security. On paper RCD Goma troops are now part of the regular army 8th Military Region. In effect one of the points of a peace agreement signed also by RCD Goma in December 2003 was the integration of rebel militia into a new unified national army. “However RCD troops now part of the new army refuse to take orders from regular army chiefs” the sources told Fides: “Whatever the case, it is not easy to understand exactly what is happening and the role of the different troops on the field”.
The army general staff has said it is sending more troops to the area to stop the violence. “They want to prevent rebels from entering the area of Masisi” the sources told Fides.
Reports of more fighting in North Kivu are causing rising tension in Bukavu the main town in South Kivu. “There is no fighting in the town and the border with Rwanda is still open but the fear is that Bukavu will be completely cut off if the fighting comes this far” the sources told Fides.
Yesterday Sunday 12 December a message was read in all Catholic and Protestant churches in Goma urging the people to watch to see that a ‘spirit of division and tribal rivalry’ is not allowed to spread and to work to promote peace and mutual acceptance. “It is necessary to build peace in hearts, in our city, our province and our country” the leaders of Christian confessions said in the message and they called on the government to “ form a new integrated police force and army as soon as possible”. They also urged both Rwanda and Democratic Congo to “prefer the path of diplomacy rather than that of arms. The respective national leaders must realise that the destiny of these two peoples is to live side by side and consequently a military solution would seriously harm African solidarity and it would be an insult to the idea of an African Union”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/12/2004 righe 41 parole 504)
