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France backs Kabila, reports of refugees attacked

Article published on the 2008-10-31 Latest update 2008-10-31 16:26 TU

A UN soldier on the streets of Goma Friday(Photo: Retuers)

A UN soldier on the streets of Goma Friday
(Photo: Retuers)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday declared his support for Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila, as Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner headed for the conflict-torn east of the country. The UN's refugee agency says that it has received credible reports of rebels driving refugees out of camps.

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After meeting ministers Friday morning, a statement from Sarkozy's office gave "full support" to Kabila and called on the UN force in DRC, Monuc, to "guarantee the safety of displaced populations and refugee camps in the Goma region".

The Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier announced that Kouchner would go to Goma on Friday, along with British Foreign Secretary David Milliband.

Kouchner has called for a European force of between 400 and 1,500 troops to be sent to the region to support Monuc but the presidential communiqué made no mention of the suggestion.

A meeting of European Union ambassadors also failed to take up the idea, calling for intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, sparked off by fighting between DRC troops and rebel General Laurent Nkunda.

The Monuc spokesperson in Kinshasa, Colonel Tal Samba, confirmed Nkunda's claim in an interview with RFI that government troops had been guilty of looting in Goma.

"They had some looting from loose soldiers," Tal told RFI. "The government yesterday sent units of military police and they put strong reserves to stop these lootings so that they stopped since."

Comment: Colonel Tal Samba for the UN military mission in Congo

 
 

31/10/2008 by William Niba

In Geneva the UN refugees' agency, UNHCR, announced that it has received credible reports that Nkunda's forces have attacked refugee camps.

"UNHCR has received disturbing reports that several camps for internally displaced people near the Nord-Kivu town of Rutshuru, 90 kilometres north of Goma, have been forcibly emptied, looted and burned," spokesperson Ron Redmond told journalists.

The UN's children's fund, Unicef, warned Friday of the danger of an epidemic of cholera and measekes among those who have fled the fighting.