army pounds rebels (3)
Good people of the world,
I agree with Robert, When you are winning don't stop until the enemy is wiped out. That M23 belong to ICC Hague to answer for insurgency, terrorism, genocide with atrocities. That they irregularly, illegally and unconstitutionally occupied Congolese Land and terrorized its people and committed crime, violation and abused Human Rights denying them peace and altogether destroyed livelihood and survival because of selfish and greed. The sufferings of women and children is totally unjustified and is immoral. The law is clear, that all must play by the same set of rules and justice delayed, is justice denied. The Congo people have a right to demand for justice for the horrible injustices committed by the M23 Militia Groups. But in this case Special Envoy deals, the M23, Kagame and Museveni have more rights more than the Congo people. This is immorally unacceptable. To serve as a lesson for future attacks, justice must be seen to be done, and justice must prevail and The Truth shall Set Us all Free indeed............
This is not worthy the brutal death of Patrice Lumumba in terms of what he believed to safeguard and deliver for the Congo people ..........To ask Congo people to accept M23 is plain robbery with violence and it is blaspheming. It is not enough to pay tribute or honor life of Patrice Lumumba. It is a laughing stock. This is pure denial of justice...........It is a way of rewarding and crediting injustices against the the whole race of African descent, which is proving that the ancestral of BLACK COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD AND SURVIVAL, have no meaning or value.
Let all those who made the lives of Congo people miserable be known and that it is important they face the law and respect the Congo peoples Democratic space, livelihood and survival. Who will pay for the loses of Congo people from the M23 insurgency and invasion and from occupying Congo land irregularly, illegally and unconstitutionally by force. This type of truce will definately not last, it is definately a trap. Once the UN special force in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will have gone, Congo will face another fresh attack from M23 or M28 as the illegal rebel had promised earlier. The M23 Militia group does not need a deal as they are an illegal function that have no right to occupy Congo Land to benefit from Congo Natural Minerals without proper agreement for Congo people to own shares of the benefits of the resourses.
Rights of Congo people must be honored, respected, valued and dignified as all people are equal. It is Natural Common Law. This is what is fair so life can begin to have meaning and flourish without fear of future attacks, intimidation or remorse.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
UN brigade in direct combat as DR Congo army pounds rebels
By Habibou Bangre 1 hour ago
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A Congolese soldier holds a position against the M23 rebels near Bunagana, north of Goma, November 1, 2013. Uganda called on the Congolese army and M23 rebels to cease fire on Friday as peace talks progressed in Kampala to end their 20-month conflict. While the rebels said they were ready for a peace deal, government forces vowed to pursue their military advantage and crush the rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral-rich east. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)
Ntamugenga (DR Congo) (AFP) - The UN special force in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo engaged in direct combat with besieged M23 rebels on Monday, throwing its weight behind a crushing army assault despite calls for a truce.
A UN source said the intervention brigade fired mortar rounds after getting the "green light" to bombard the last positions of the M23, in what appeared to be the first time the force has actively taken part in the fighting since the army launched its offensive late-October.
"Our targets are... Runyonyi and Chanzu," said another source in the UN brigade, referring to two hilltops about 80 kilometres north of regional capital Goma, at about 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), where dozens of holdout rebels have dug in.
"There is some resistance. We will continue to fire until everything is under control," added the source.
Until now, the UN intervention brigade had been backing the Congolese forces with aerial reconnaissance, intelligence and planning.
News of the UN force's intervention came hours after the Congolese army said it had seized a key rebel position, the latest in a string of military victories over the rebels since a major offensive was launched on October 25.
A senior official said Congolese troops had "completely conquered" the Mbuzi hilltop, as fighting raged in the mountainous region where rebels have retreated to since being forced from their last stronghold of Bunagana last week.
The latest clashes came despite a ceasefire call by M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa on Sunday, which prompted international calls for Kinshasa to stop pressing on with the offensive.
Urging rebels to "immediately end hostilities", Bisimwa said his aim was to "allow the continuation of the political process" with Kinshasa in a bid to end the insurgency plaguing the long-troubled region since April 2012.
But the fighting only appeared to intensify after the M23 leader's appeal, with AFP journalists reporting that heavy shelling could be heard Monday in the small town of Ntamugenga near the battle zone in the lush, hilly region bordering Uganda.
"Victory, Victory," soldiers cried at a post in the town after receiving a radio message that their colleagues had taken Mbuzi.
Thousands flee into Uganda
The governor of the DR Congo's eastern North Kivu province, Julien Paluku, said shelling had left six people dead in Bunagana, a town on the border with Uganda.
Ugandan army colonel Paddy Ankunda said some shells had landed on its territory but there were no injuries or plans for any military response from Kampala.
The UN refugee agency meanwhile said it had moved another 3,000 Congolese refugees to its transit camp in Kisoro to escape the fighting, bringing the total number of refugees in the small Ugandan town to 8,000.
African leaders met in Pretoria in South Africa late on Monday to discuss the possibility of reinforcing the offensive UN brigade in the country.
Addressing the gathering, South African President Jacob Zuma urged leaders from the 15-country Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and several of Congo's neighbours "to respond to the urgent challenges of restoring peace and stability".
The heavily-armed 3,000-strong UN intervention brigade joined 17,000 peacekeepers already deployed with a mission to carry out offensive operations against the rebel fighters, who are accused of human rights abuses including rape, murder and recruiting child soldiers.
In a joint statement issued early Monday, envoys from the European Union, African Union and the United Nations said they were "concerned about the renewed outbreak of violence" that followed the M23 truce call.
Analysts say better preparation by the Congolese troops and the backing of the UN brigade with the unprecedented offensive mandate have helped changed the game in the restive east of the DR Congo.
The M23 movement was founded by ethnic Tutsi former rebels who were incorporated into the Congolese army under a 2009 peace deal but mutinied in April 2012, claiming the pact had never been fully implemented.
COMMENTS:
Jay14 hours ago
Do we really need advice from the know nothings, calling for truce and negotiations will only formally recognize the M23 as a political entity and thus give them strength, After Ban ki Looney said we shouldn't harm the M23, here is another voice calling for negotiation when we are kicking their #$%$ finally after years of running in the opposite direction, like Arnold said, "crush da enemy and hear the lamentations of da wimmin, that is good" we should settle for crush da enemy and leave the poor women alone they have suffered enough,
Robert4 hours ago
When you are winning don't stop until the enemy is wiped out.
Ted9 hours ago
Press the attack, take no prisoners. They tricking you with a truce, they just want some time to regroup (timeout), don't give it to them.
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Congo-Kinshasa: Fighting Continues in DR Congo
By Daniel Pelz with Gaïus Kowene, 4 November 2013
The Congolese army seized one of the last positions held by the M23 rebel group on Monday. Thousands of people are on the run. The rebels have repeated their peace offer.
Standing beside his taxi at the Biere roundabout in the center of Goma, James Karefu is keeping calm. "No, I'm not afraid of the M23. Its present state does not allow them to stand in front of a regular army", the taxi driver tells DW. One year ago, the name M23 was enough to sent shockwaves down the spines of Goma residents, after the rebels took the major trade hub in eastern DRC. They stayed in the city for ten days while Congolese soldiers and UN peacekeepers stood by and watched.
That has changed dramatically. After a military campaign that lasted a few weeks, the rebels control little more than three hilltops in the entire region. And even though fighting between the rebels and the army erupted again on Monday in another part of the eastern DR Congo, Goma's residents went about their daily routines. "In Goma, life goes on normally", DW correspondent Gaïus Kowene reported. Shops, schools and banks operate as usual, our correspondent said.
M23 launched its rebellion in April 2012, becoming the latest reincarnation of an ethnic Tutsi rebel group dissatisfied with the Congolese government.
Rebels holding just a few hilltops
None of the residents expect the rebels to return any time soon. On Monday, Congolese soldiers seized the strategic hilltop of Mbuzi. It had been "completely conquered," the AFP news agency quoted a senior Congolese official as saying. "We can't stop...there are only a few hills left to conquer," he added. Correspondents in the area reported that the soldiers attacked the hillpost with tanks and rocket fire. Seven rebels are said to have been captured.
The M23 complained that the army had attacked its positions with heavy weapons. "Our movement reiterates that we are ready to unconditionally sign the peace deal agreed on Saturday, November 3 in Kampala," the rebels said in a statement. On Sunday (03.11.2013), M23 rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa had offered a truce. "We order all the forces of the Congolese revolutionary army to immediately end hostilities with the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo", he said in a statement.
Thousands on the run
The clashes have displaced thousands of people in the region. Aid agencies estimate that some 10,000 people have crossed into neighboring Uganda. "The streets are full of people running from the fighting", Lucy Beck of the UN refugee agency told Reuters news agency.
In Goma meanwhile, many people hope that the M23 will soon be beaten for good so that they can return to their homes. The city is still offering sanctuary to thousands who were displaced by fighting in recent years. "This attack is a way for rebels to show the government that they still exist and can cause harm. I am confident that they will not be able to do anything bad," a lady who gave her name only as Gisele, told DW. She said that she was preparing to return to her home town of Kibumba, about 25 kilometers north of Goma.
Peace efforts
The European Union, the African Union and top United Nations envoys called on both sides to exercise restraint. Their statement urged the M23 to renounce its rebellion as agreed and the army to hold off from further military action for the moment.
African leaders will meanwhile meet in South Africa's capital Pretoria on Monday evening to find a political situation for the crisis. South Africa's president Jacob Zuma is expected to discuss the situation with the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Voice of America (Washington, DC)
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Wants Rebellion's End, Not Cease-Fire
4 November 2013
The Democratic Republic of Congo's government says a call for a cease-fire by M23 rebels does not go far enough, and is demanding the group end its revolt.
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa said on Sunday after his fighters were pushed from one of their last remaining strongholds that he wanted the cease-fire to allow stalled peace talks with the government to go forward.
Congolese Information Minister Lambert Mende told VOA that the rebels must commit to a series of steps to fully demobilize, not just enact a cease-fire.
He added that with the army's recent gains, he expects the fighting will be over in a matter of days.
The rebels consist of fighters who joined the Congolese army in a 2009 peace deal, but later defected after complaining of poor treatment. Last November, they captured several cities in the country's mineral-rich east.
Bisimwa told VOA the rebels are fighting for "security."
"We know that this part of Congo, the eastern part of Congo, there are many, many groups, foreign groups, who are killing, who are raping, and we can't continue to accept this," said Bisimwa.
He said the people living in the area have "suffered for a long time," and that M23 is fighting to build roads, hospitals and schools and give locals an opportunity to get jobs.
The United Nations has pressed the two sides to agree to a peace deal as part of efforts to stabilize the eastern DRC. However, negotiators said the talks broke down last month with the parties divided over a proposed amnesty for the rebels.
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