DRC rebels accused of looting
2012-11-28 19:18
Goma - The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo accused rebels on Wednesday of widespread looting in Goma as the fighters began pulling out of the strategic eastern city following diplomatic mediation to prevent the conflict spreading across the volatile region.
The Red Cross also reported that it had buried 62 people whose bodies were found in the streets of Goma in the days following its capture by the M23 group, which launched an uprising against the DRC government in April.
Government spokesperson Lambert Mende charged that the rebels had plundered buildings "from top to bottom" across the city, including an attempt to rob the central bank, and taken the loot across the border to Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of backing the M23.
He said those behind "such barbaric acts answer for their actions before the courts, both national and international".
Residents said dozens of trucks carrying food and ammunition had left Goma, the main city in the Kivu region on the borders of Rwanda and Uganda, which has been the flashpoint for past wars in central Africa's largest country.
At stake is control of Kivu's vast mineral wealth, which includes cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold and coltan, a key component in mobile phones.
