Train attacked, two die, 150 km west of Brazzaville

At least two people were killed and 12 wounded in an attack on a passenger train in the Republic of Congo (ROC) travelling from Pointe-Noire to the capital, Brazzaville, the Congolese government reported on Wednesday. The attack was said to have taken place in two separate locations near Kinkembo, some 150 km west of Brazzaville. The BBC reported that the train completed its journey, and that some of the wounded were in a critical state when they arrived in Brazzaville. Government sources speculated that the attacks had been carried out by members of the Ninja militia of the Pool region, allied to the Reverend Pasteur Ntoumi. Last month, Col Michel Ngakala, the High Commissioner for the Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in ROC, accused Ntoumi of opposing the demobilisation of his men and thereby constituting a threat to peace. Although Ntoumi has expressed willingness to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for his men to be reintegrated, negotiations between him and the government have thus far been unsuccessful. Following years of civil war and the signing of two ceasefire agreements in November and December 1999, the process of demobilising an estimated total of 25,000 militia fighters began in ROC. These included members of the Cobras (loyal to President Denis Sassou-Nguesso), the Cocoyes (loyal to former President Pascal Lissouba), and the Ninjas (loyal to former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas). All those who surrendered and handed in their weapons were guaranteed an amnesty by the government, including those responsible for serious human rights abuses during the armed conflict, according to Amnesty International. Ngakala's office was created by the government largely to manage a US $5 million loan from the World Bank to be used for the reintegration of ex-combatants. Since the end of the civil war, many former militiamen have surrendered their weapons in exchange for civilian jobs. Through the UNDP/IOM programme for the "Reintegration of Ex-Combatants and Collection of Light Weapons", which has been operating since November 2000, more than 7,500 ex-combatants have been assisted in the transition to civilian life through funds and training to start small businesses. Some 1,800 have been reintegrated by the government, primarily into the army. The initiative has also collected and destroyed 12,000 small arms. While the reintegration programme received funding in 2001 from core UNDP funds, a UNDP Small Arms Trust Fund, Norway, Sweden and USA, it is now seeking funds for a second phase to reintegrate some 8,000 ex-combatants and to collect about 40,000 small arms. "Although the European Union (750,000 euros, or $659,745) and Sweden (5,000,000 SEK, or $486,997) have recently confirmed their contributions to the second phase, another $3 million dollars is needed to complete the programme," a UN source told IRIN on Wednesday.