Printed on Sunday, May 30, 2004 @ 11:18:09 CDT ( ) Report by Paul Harris, YellowTimes.org NewsFromtheFront.org TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- In a story filed only hours ago, it was reported that the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Background Report) had fired on Congolese troops. Further, a warning was issued to the Congolese that they would be forcibly disarmed if they did not cease activities deemed by the U.N. forces to be provocative. It may be that the U.N. already has its answer: a U.N. military observer has been shot dead and another is missing from a small U.N. camp located about 40 kilometres north of Bukavu, located in the eastern section of DRC near the border with Rwanda. U.N. officials are claiming that the circumstances are not yet clear and they do not know the location of the missing observer. Although not spoken, it is presumed this attack was retaliation for the rocket launch. This all follows several days of unrest which led to yesterday's rocket firing. About 2,000 local residents have already decided they are not safe and have fled across the border into the relative security of Rwanda. The clashes have been between two groups of the DRC army; one group was previously part of the national armed forces before and during the DRC civil war, the other is the remnant of one of the rebel groups who fought against those regular troops. They, and several other rebel armies, had formed together with the national armed forces to become the new DRC army under a brokered deal which is designed to bring peace and stability to this nation. Some observers are saying the frayed tempers between the two units is merely growing pains that derive from trying to amalgamate a formal army with less disciplined rebel soldiers. There may be merit to that but it is worth noting that most of the various rebel units are compromised of distinct and separate ethnic groups. YellowTimes.org correspondent Paul Harris drafted this report. The Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas |