Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Fighting raging in Katanga province

Country Map - DRC (Katanga province) IRIN
The plane was reported to have crashed last week at Kamina military base, in central Katanga Province
    NAIROBI

    Heavy fighting is still going on in DRC’s southeastern province of Katanga between DRC government troops and its allies and those of the Goma-based Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma). “It is true heavy fighting is still going on,” RCD-Goma spokesman Kin Kiey Mulumba told IRIN on Friday. “[DRC President Laurent-Desire] Kabila attacked us and took many villages there and now we are defending our positions,” he said.

    According to Mulumba, RCD-Goma had decided to move out of the disputed villages to pave way for the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC), “but before we knew it the government forces and its Mayi Mayi, Interahamwe and [Burundian rebel] FDD allies moved in, killing villagers and started capturing the villages”. “It was natural for us to fight and take back our positions,” Mulumba said. “We could not stand aside and watch innocent villagers being killed,” he added. He said that so far, RCD has retaken control of areas of Pepa, previously captured by government forces, such as the airport.

    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