The military situation in the northeast Bunia area is said to be tense, with increasing reports of confrontations mostly between various troops circulating in the region. Humanitarian sources said that in one incident a Congolese soldier was killed by a Rwandan soldier who accused him of sending information from the Rwandan camp to troops belonging to rebel leader Ernest Wamba dia Wamba of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) which controls the Bunia region. The increasingly tense situation is causing fear and panic among the people of Bunia who believe there is a stand-off between troops loyal to Wamba and those loyal to his deputy John Tibasima, who is opposed to Wamba. The population fears that Tibasima’s troops are trying to provoke a clash in Bunia to try and oust Wamba. According to the sources, resentment is building up towards Tibasima’s tribe, the Hema.
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