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Rwanda asks region to intervene in Kisangani fighting

    NAIROBI

    Rwanda on Friday said it had urged regional intervention to put a stop to the fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan troops in the DRC town of Kisangani.

    “We have informed the Tanzanian and South African authorities about the situation in Kisangani, so that they intervene and end this unfortunate development,” Major Emmanuel Ndahiro, the Rwandan army spokesman, told IRIN.

    He said the fighting was spreading to the town centre and main airport. “Last night the Ugandans withdrew their contingent that was working with our unit, from the airport, without prior notice. This was a sign that they were preparing something.”

    “Right now they are attacking our unit at Bagonka airport [the main airport in Kisangani] and our troops will only fire back in self defence,” he added.

    The fighting comes at a time when Rwandan President Paul Kagame was planning a state visit to Uganda next week to try and improve relations between the two formerly close allies.

    “Maybe the people who started this are not interested in the normalisation of relations between the two countries,” Ndahiro commented.

    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

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