Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Reuters Health Summit
Hear from CEOs and other business leaders
Get Exclusives
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
You Witness
The Great Debate
Blogs
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
You Witness News
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Congo rebels push north despite Nkunda peace pledge
Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:35pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Finbarr O'Reilly
RWINDI, Congo (Reuters) - Well-armed Tutsi rebels in eastern Congo have pushed back demoralized army troops and advanced north despite their leader's pledge to support a ceasefire and peace talks, witnesses said on Monday.
Government troops abandoned their position late on Sunday at Rwindi, 130 km (80 miles) north of Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, after a battle with the rebels involving small arms and heavier weapons. U.N. peacekeeping troops at Rwindi stayed in their base during the fighting.
Tutsi rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda have continued to push north and extend the territory under their control, despite the commitment to a ceasefire and peace talks made by Nkunda on Sunday to a U.N. envoy.
The peace initiative by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, named special envoy by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is aimed at ending weeks of renewed fighting that has displaced a quarter of a million civilians.
Obasanjo also met Congolese President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the weekend in an effort to stop the east Congo conflict from escalating into a repeat of a 1998-2003 Congo war, in which several million people died.
A U.N. peacekeeper at Rwindi, who declined to be identified, told Reuters that Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) forces had started advancing against government troops on Sunday, the day Nkunda met Obasanjo.
"By morning (on Monday), the CNDP was here," he said.
The road into Rwindi was littered with army boots and blankets. At the town, a ranger post for the Virunga National Park, rebel fighters manned checkpoints abandoned by the army.
To the north, sporadic gunshots rang out that peacekeepers said were probably fired by hungry soldiers poaching animals.
Local residents said they wanted the conflict to stop.
"There were more than 100 bombs that fell last night. What kind of ceasefire is that?" said Clement Augustin Kasabuni, 33.
A U.N. official said the retreating government soldiers had destroyed equipment left behind in Rwindi including ammunition and a rocket launcher. The rebels have been collecting large amounts of military hardware abandoned by the weak and chaotic Congolese army.
LOW ARMY MORALE
Morale among government soldiers at nearby Kanyabayonga, a town on the province's main north-south road, seemed very low.
"All our generals are corrupt politicians and rebels," said a Congolese army sergeant-major, who asked not to be named. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Olmert promises to free 250 Palestinian prisoners
Also on Reuters
Theron joins U.N. fight to end violence against women
Slideshow
California wildfire evacuees return home
Group therapy may extend lives of cancer patients
Video
Ceasefire hopes in DR Congo
Play Video
More Video...
Editor's Choice
Pictures
Video
Articles
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Bond
Jobs
Precycle
Sports: Pujols wins National League MVP award
Health: Family history key in breast cancer risk
US: "Gulf War Syndrome" is real, report finds
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Recommended
SEC charges Mark Cuban with insider trading
McCartney hints at “mythical” Beatles track release
Obama, McCain pledge to work together
Californians return to fire-ravaged homes | Video
Japan in recession
How low can oil go? A lot lower, but it'll recover
Forecasters: U.S. in 14 month recession
Citigroup to slash 52,000 jobs | Video
Americans uneasy over bailout for automakers
WRAPUP 1-Obama, McCain pledge to work together
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Wildfires encircle Los Angeles
Iraq cabinet backs US security pact
Seven die in Canada plane crash
TalkOfTheTown: Bond's big weekend
Medvedev 'pins hopes' on Obama
Ceasefire hopes in DR Congo
China subway tunnel gives way
Bush: Summit a success
Obama's defense policy
And Finally.. In Dog We Trust.
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
The Great Debate
World Affairs:
Barack Obama and The Ugly American
Bernd Debusmann
It's been an enduring label that's fed anti-American sentiments around the globe. Columnist Bernd Debusmann examines whether this label will disappear or fade following Barack Obama's election. Commentary
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.