Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
12 August 2007
Kigali — D R Congo based Rwandan rebels have attacked a village in Luofu - North Kivu making off with dozens of goats, cloths and about $750, UN funded Okapi radio has reported.
The Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda - FDLR rebels reportedly armed with crude weapons and machetes pillaged about 17 homes on Saturday at mid-night before leaving with cooking utensils and a terrified people helpless reeling for their property.
Victims said the assailants moved from how to house for about 30 minutes taking with them goats, chicken, cloths and money from every house.
Mr. Kasereka Mukosa Senge head of a local primary school and Father Jean-Marie Waevuta Luofu catholic parish, said the situation in the area is becoming very insecure by the day as rebels torment the locals without any intervention from the thousands of UN forces - MONUC based there.
Meanwhile, Congolese government forces announced Saturday that all offensives against the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda rebels would be suspended following intervention from the UN mission in the country - MONUC and the international community. Critics of the operations fear they are targeted campaigns against Hutus.
"The FDLR problem is that there are Congolese Hutus and Rwandan Hutus that are killing. When there are operations, Congolese Hutus, North Kivu politicians, the Nande people and other tribes say we are carrying out Genocide against Congolese and Rwandan Hutus", General Amisi Tango - head of DRC land forces told reporters in Goma - capital of North kivu province.
"This is because there are operation units commanded by Congolese Tutsis under the instruction of field commanders in the region and from the senior commander of the operations in the region".
General Amisi added: "Since we are together with MONUC and the international community - they said we cannot continue with such a mono ethnic operation - Tutsis against Hutus - that will create Genocide."
The General told Goma residents that they should be calm promising that more adequate measures would be carried out to ensure the total security of the population.
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