CONGO: Thousands of Congolese government soldiers and hundreds of UN peacekeepers battled ethnic militia fighters yesterday for control of an eastern town. Some government troops were killed, the UN said.
UN peacekeepers backed up by helicopter gunships and mortar fire fought alongside the national army to retake control of Tchei, 60 kilometres southwest of Bunia in Ituri district, where militia violence has killed 60,000 people since 1999.
"There is heavy fighting going on," said UN military spokesman Maj Hans-Jakob Reichen. "The armed groups are trying to break the strangle[ hold] that the joint forces have put around them.
"Our operation will not stop until the rule of law is established in the Tchei area.
"We have engaged with attack helicopters and mortars. Men in armoured personnel carriers and soldiers on the ground are also fighting," he said.
Accused of doing little to stop fighting in the Congo despite peace deals that officially ended a five-year war in 2003, the UN has adopted a more robust approach, aiming to cut militia activity ahead of polls in June.
"There are quite a few Congolese soldiers wounded, and a few have died," Maj Reichen said, adding that one UN soldier had also been hurt, although not by enemy fire.
"There have been casualties amongst the militia," he said, without giving any figures. Five battalions totalling around 2,500 from the reformed national army and some 500 UN peacekeepers were involved, he said.