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| Africa Subsaharan |
| New Massacre Leaves 14 Dead in Eastern DR Congo |
| 2014-12-08 |
| [AnNahar] Suspected Ugandan rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... have killed 14 people with machetes and axes, authorities said Sunday, despite efforts by the army and U.N. peacekeepers to stop such massacres. The overnight attack in the area of Beni in Oicha village in North Kivu province was confirmed by a military front man and a local official. More than 200 people have been killed since October in a series of massacres in Beni and the surrounding area blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU). The rebels have been terrorizing the east of the DR Congo, which borders Uganda, for the last two decades. Town chief Jean-Baptiste Kamabu, reached by telephone from the North Kivu capital Goma, said the assailants wielded machetes and axes. He said two people were maimed and another two were kidnapped. Celestin Ngeleka, front man of a military operation against gangs in the region, confirmed the corpse count of 14, which he said could rise. Soldiers are still searching the area and could "find other cadavers", he said. Recent attacks in the area have followed a similar pattern, the assailants arriving at night armed with machetes and brutally massacring residents, including women and kiddies. An NGO based in Beni, Civil Society of North Kivu, claimed the corpse count from the overnight attack was 32 and called on the Congolese army and U.N. peacekeepers to restore order to the region. It said in a statement it was "extremely shocked by yet another massacre." Residents have repeatedly denounced what they see as passivity from DR Congo troops and U.N. peacekeepers in the face of the massacres. Beni is an important commercial center and a stronghold of the Nande community, whose leaders rallied behind a militia supported by Uganda during the second Congo war from 1998 to 2003. The latest attack comes after Martin Kobler, head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUSCO, said last week "we could reduce our presence" in the country next year if the government's authority was restored. Already a delegation from U.N. headquarters in New York "has come to see how MONUSCO could reduce its forces, because the security situation in many places is getting better," Kobler said in an online chat session. MONUSCO is one of the biggest peacekeeping missions in the world. A Congolese army operation launched in January allowed the military to retake rebel strongholds in the region, but the operation was halted after the death of its commander in August. It was restarted in late November. The ADF-NALU rebels, who oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, have been present in eastern DR Congo for nearly two decades. Believed to number around 400, they have hidden in the Ruwenzori mountains that straddle the border with Uganda since being driven out of their homeland by Museveni's soldiers in 1995. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #5 There certainly is that question Glen. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-12-08 11:53 |
| #4 Besoeker, after watching the movie 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' it becomes less clear that the changes were actually civilized... |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2014-12-08 11:45 |
| #3 Vitamin deficiency? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-12-08 10:12 |
| #2 The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Dating from 75,000 years ago. If some form of intelligent civilization cannot be acquired in that length of time, perhaps there are other factors at play. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-12-08 02:03 |
| #1 Some things never change. |
| Posted by: Mystic 2014-12-08 01:46 |