[An Nahar] Battles between the army and a militia 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 or
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 left at least 36 people dead and thousands have sought refuge at a U.N. base, a front man said Thursday.
People descended on the small U.N. peacekeeping base at Kitchanga in mineral-rich North Kivu province as new gunfire was heard across the region, U.N. deputy front man Eduardo del Buey told news hounds.
Clashes between the DR Congo army and the the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo, better known under its French acronym APCLS, erupted in the region on Wednesday.
Del Buey said at least 36 people, including 10 civilians, have been reported killed in the battles. One peacekeeper from the U.N. force, MONUSCO, has also been maimed.
"This morning MONUSCO reported gunshots in the area. The mission says that between 3,000 and 4,000 Congolese have now taken refuge around its base in Kitchanga," the front man said.
"MONUSCO is closely monitoring the area, including with its combat helicopter," del Buey said.
The APCLS is a longstanding militia in the region which made its name battling the late dictator Sese Seko Mobuto in the 1990s when widespread wars in DR Congo and neighboring countries left millions dead.