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In an interview with IRIN, rebel faction leader Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, said that "around 4,000" people had been killed in the Ituri clashes to date, but that the situation was now "more or less calm in terms of killings".
With additional Ugandan troops now in both Lendu and Hema villages, people were being encouraged to return home, he added. Wamba, who heads the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie - mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML), described the authorities as "a little bit confident".
He attributed the conflict to unequal access to land, an increase in poverty and an absence of state structures. The killings had escalated from June last year because of extremism on both sides, said Wamba dia Wamba.
He said he "has faith" that help will come from the international
community, but that at least 25,000-30,000 peacekeeping troops would be needed in Congo to be effective. Putting peacekeepers only on the borders would be "ridiculous", said Wamba dia Wamba -adding that troops would be needed for "guaranteeing peace in the rest of Congo".
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