{{United Nations forces and the Congolese army have attacked rebel positions with helicopter gunships, armoured personnel carriers and a large number of ground troops, ramping up the UN’s engagement in the latest rebellion to hit the country’s eastern region.}}
The fighting was some of the fiercest in the week since the newly created UN intervention brigade went on the offensive, and one Tanzanian peacekeeper was killed after the rebels aimed artillery fire at their position, the UN said in a statement.
Seven other troops were also wounded, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.
“I am outraged by today’s killing of a United Nations peacekeeper from Tanzania by the M23,” said Martin Kobler, the special representative of the secretary-general in Congo, who heads the peacekeeping mission. “He sacrificed his life to protect civilians in Goma.”
The fighting took place near Kibati village, about 15km from the provincial capital Goma, a city home to nearly 1 million people that was briefly captured by the M23 rebels late last year.
Haq said M23 had been using the positions “to shell populated areas” and that “the objective of the operation is therefore to remove the threat against Goma”.
The UN’s top military official in Congo said that at least one, and possibly two shells fell inside Goma late on Wednesday. Residents of the city’s Mabanga Nord neighbourhood told reporters that a 14-year-old boy was killed and others injured in one of the blasts.
reuters
Leave a Reply