Kinshasa (Fides Service)-“The situation in Kivu is confused and it is difficult to say what exactly is happening” Xaverian missionaries told Fides. “Shooting continues in the city of Bukavu on the outskirts not far from the border with Rwanda”.
Fides spoke with the Fathers general House here in Rome who are in contact with Xaverian missionaries in Kivu. “It would seem that guerrillas officially integrated with the unified regular army attacked troops loyal to the governor sent by the central government in Kinshasa. UN peacekeepers MONUC intervened to separate the warring parties. There is news of victims and it is difficult to understand the reason for this new episode of violence” the missionaries told Fides.
According to a peace agreement reached in 2003, the many different armed groups were to be disbanded and integrated with regular troops to form a new unified Congolese army. On May 18 the 1st battalion of integrated troops completed its training course of six weeks in peace keeping tactics. The battalion consisted of 850 members of the regular army (loyal to President Kabila), and men from various different militia groups fighting in the east of the country. Two more battalions are being formed in view of training and integration.
More than once Fides Service relayed the alarm voiced by the local Church with regard the risk of fresh outbreaks of violence Kivu and especially in Bukavu ( see Fides 22 September 10 October 2003). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/5/2004, righe 26 parole 296)