Posted on 11/17/2012 1:51:23 PM PST by NormsRevenge
KINSHASA (Reuters) - United Nations attack helicopters hit rebel positions in eastern Congo on Saturday after insurgents gained ground in heavy fighting with government troops, the U.N. said.
The clashes to the south of the town Kibumba mean the rebels have advanced to within 30 km (18 miles) of Goma, the closest they have been to North Kivu's provincial capital since a rebellion exploded in the eastern provinces eight months ago.
North Kivu governor Julien Paluku said the army retreated to the southern outskirts of the town after M23 rebels - a group of soldiers who mutinied in April - advanced with support from neighbouring Rwanda. A Congolese government statement claimed 4,000 Rwandans had crossed the border.
Rwanda rejected the accusations, the latest in a string of charges by the Congolese government in Kinshasa. The Rwandan government called on Congo's army and the rebels to halt the fighting as shells were landing in its territory.
The French mission at the United Nations in New York said it had called for an emergency meeting at the Security Council on the situation in Congo for 2000 GMT on Saturday.
More than five million people are estimated to have died from violence, hunger and disease in wars in Congo since 1998. It is the deadliest conflict since World War Two.
U.N. experts have said in reports they have evidence that Rwanda has supported the M23 rebels in eastern Congo. They have called on the Security Council to impose sanctions on Rwandan officials in response.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I’ve read a few accounts of the struggle for independence. I’ll bet there were a lot of Congolais that were perfectly happy with the ancien regime.
In the early ‘60’s, the UN took the wrong side in the Congo, and they are still reaping the rewards of that ill-gotten harvest. They should have backed Tshombe in the Katanga Revolt, and we would have seen a wealthy, pro-western power in the heart of Africa instead of the tribal carnage we have now.
too bad that WWI and WWII chewed up so many Europeans.
population will expand to fill the vacuum.
The European powers had enough manpower between the World Wars to continue their hold on the colonies in Africa, the subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The European hold on Africa began to loosen in the 50s and 60s when “the winds of change” began to blow, and Africa exploded. There were a few peaceful transitions of power, and the occupying powers managed to leave their mark, culturally, on their former colonies.
well thats just it. all this emigration we see is a result of the prior colonial expansions and the wars in other continents.
the reason the UK is turning into Northwest Asia is because of Raj. the reason France is turning into Mahgreb North is because of 1800’s colonialism. The reason the US has pockets of Viets, Cambodians, Hmongs, and Somalis is because of our own little wars. These places lose their best minds to EU UK and US, and are left with second tier intellects to run their affairs with the usual predictable results.
Those European powers - and now the US - are paying the price of empire. I left the UK in 1974 after five years and even in those days, the place looked like Quetta.
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