Ugandan Rebels Kill Six Civilians In DR Congo, UN Mission Reports
New York, Oct 22 2008 7:10PM
Ugandan rebel forces operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) killed six civilians in a deadly attack in
the north-eastern village of Bangadi, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the DRC reported today.
The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – a notorious militia believed responsible for killing over 200 people, including 159
children, in the DRC since mid-September – looted homes and communal facilities in Bangadi before setting them ablaze on
Sunday morning, according to the mission (known as MONUC).
Earlier this month, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that at least 5,000 refugees from the DRC had
arrived in southern Sudan recently after fleeing the LRA. This time, however, the rebels met with stiff resistance from
the villagers and left without kidnapping any children during the attack or causing further damage.
The LRA is already notorious for its use of child soldiers during its conflict with the Ugandan Government since the
mid-1980s, and several of its most senior figures have been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for
alleged war crimes.
Meanwhile, DRC armed forces (FARDC) have called on the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to adhere
to the Nairobi Communiqué – an agreement from November 2007 under which both parties agreed to work together against
threats to peace and stability in the region – or face punitive action.
The agreement calls for FDLR combatants, a mainly Hutu militia group, to be disarmed and repatriated to Rwanda, which it
is widely believed would help restore security and stability in the eastern DRC and in the wider Great Lakes region.
ENDS