Skirmishes erupted on Monday between the Congolese army and rebel fighters loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda, shattering a three-week ceasefire in the region. The fighting, which has been ongoing for the past year, has resulted in the forced displacement of more than 300,000 people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR notes that refugees are fleeing the region at an increasing pace and blame Nkunda's rebel forces for forcibly recruiting child soldiers.
U.N. officials are supporting Congolese army claims they were responding to initial attacks from troops of Nkunda's National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). CNDP leaders, however, contest this allegation; “The army started this war. We were attacked by the president of the republic. He thinks that since he was elected he can impose war,” CNDP spokesmen, Rene Abandi, said. U.N. officials note that “Nkunda is waging a huge campaign in the media that he is being attacked” by the Congolese army. The recent attacks, however, seem to be isolated and U.N. officials are downplaying the significance of the surge of fighting.
U.N. officials note that since December, the number of displaced persons has increased from an estimated 180,000 to over 300,000. The conflict in Congo is a result of the spill-over from neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, which have been destabilized for years.
The Congolese civil war formally ended in 2002 and citizens elected Joseph Kabila last year. Kabila visited with peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies last week to discuss possibilities to improve security in the region.
The CNDP was formed by Nkunda who claimed he was protecting the minority Tutsi ethnic group in the Congo from Hutu refugees in the region. U.N. officials have stated they have evidence Nikunda is recruiting child soldiers in violation of humanitarian and international law. International arrest warrants have been issued for Nkunda for war crimes.
