Faction fights in DRC army
2004-05-27 11:25
Bukavu, Democratic Republic Of Congo - Rival units of the new army in DRC exchanged gunfire on Thursday morning in the eastern town of Bukavu, several sources there said.
An AFP journalist in Bukavu heard mortar fire during the clash, which took place between the centre of the town and the Rwandan border.
There had been shooting in the town on Wednesday evening, prompting the UN mission in DRC, Monuc, to deploy combat helicopters and troops, Monuc spokesperson Sebastien Lapierre told AFP.
Several former rebel movements joined the DRC government last year and their fighting units were integrated into the army.
According to military sources and Monuc, the fighting in Bukavu involved men loyal to a former rebel commander, Colonel Mutebusi, who was recently suspended from his post as deputy commander of the 10th military region because of a similar episode.
Journalists from the UN-run Radio Okapi saw two soldiers lying on one of the town's main streets. It was not immediately clear if they were dead or to which faction they belonged.
"Shooting ended yesterday evening and resumed at around 06:00," Lapierre told AFP.
It was not clear if Monuc troops had opened fire in Bukavu.
One military source said the fighting followed the refusal of Mutebusi's men to allow other army units to patrol in areas under his control.
A Bukavu resident said two of these men had been arrested by the army shortly before the shooting broke out.