Congolese soldiers wait for the arrival of General Didier Etumba at Goma airport. Congolese and Rwandan troops pursued their joint operation against Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday amid conflicting reports about weekend clashes. (AFP/Walter Astrada)From Yahoo News/AP:
KINSHASA, Congo – Rwandan and Congolese troops pushed deeper into zones in Congo held by Rwandan Hutu militiamen Sunday in a joint military operation designed to crush armed groups that have destabilized central Africa, a military spokesman said.
Rwanda and Congo have been enemies for years, but the two neighbors suddenly changed tactics and began cooperating last week to disarm groups each nation had previously backed as proxies.
Eastern Congo has been wracked by violence since Rwanda's 1994 genocide spilled war across the border. Hutu militias that participated in the massacres of more than 500,000 mostly ethnic Tutsi civilians sought refuge in Congo.
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Update: Alliance pursues offensive against Rwandan Hutus in Congo -- Yahoo News/AFP
My Comment: With the rebel organization experiencing an absence of leadership, Congolese and Rwandan forces are taking advantage of this leadership vacuum. I suspect that the fighting is going to be very intense in the next few weeks.
1 comment:
i fear the increase of violence in the region. However, the presence of Rwandan soldiers on the Congolese soil poses a problem. Rwanda invaded the Congo more than twice in the past. They supported Kunda's conquest. The Rwanda's excuse has always been the Hutu militias in the region.If the Rwanda's army couldn't get rid of the hutu militias during their illegal occupation between 1996 to 2002. This new invasion is not going to make any different. Hutu's militias are underestimated. The war is going to be brutal and the Congolese people are going to pay a high price for a war that doesn't have to do anything with them except natural resources.
This war is going to destabilize more than ever before the region and i think that the Congo as a country is the victim in this situation and as informed citizens, we should stand and protest and inform ourselves more about what we read and what we don't find in the newspapers.
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