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Rebel-held Goma radio on Thursday confirmed that the rebel Armee nationale congolaise (ANC) had retaken Shabunda in South Kivu after its "temporary capture" by the "negative forces". Forces composed of DRC government troops, Mayi-Mayi warriors, Rwandan ex-FAR and Interahamwe militia "had for some time occupied the district but were now dispersed into the forests", the radio said. It claimed they had "important logistical backing from the Kinshasa regime - orchestrated from Kigoma in Tanzania".
Independent humanitarian sources in the area told IRIN that reports of displacement caused by the fighting around Shabunda were false. They said people had been fleeing since November 1999, due to Interahamwe attacks on their villages, launched from the nearby Kahuzi Biega national park where the militiamen were hiding out. The sources said the Interahamwe had been
raping women, killing and looting whatever they could.
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