Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Kabila disowns fleeing DRC soldiers

[Uganda] Abstinence messages have replaced billboards promoting condom use along Kampala's streets. [Date picture taken: April 2006] Richard Lough/IRIN
The government maintains that its policy has never shifted from ABC
    LOMÉ

    Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Laurent-Desire Kabila has disowned the more than 500 soldiers fleeing into Zambia, ‘The Times of Zambia’ reported on Monday. Kaputa District Council Secretary Elias Sampa was quoted as saying that Kabila’s refusal to accept the soldiers had brought about difficulties in repatriating them. Sampa said the soldiers had run away because they were too young to fight. “They are all young boys aged between 16 and 18. What can they do in a war?”, he asked. Meanwhile, Sampa said that food supplies the government dispatched to the area last week had arrived. “Hunger has reduced for the soldiers and the refugees but the residents are still starving and we are still waiting for relief food supplies to feed the people,” he said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join