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Zairian forces hit three rebel-held cities
February 17, 1997
Web posted at: 8:00 p.m. EST (0100 GMT)KALEMIE, Zaire (CNN) -- Zaire's government urged civilians to flee the towns of Bukavu, Walikale and Shabunda Monday, after the three rebel-held towns were bombed by government forces. At least six people were killed in the attacks.
"These bombardments will continue and intensify," said Defense Ministry spokesman Leon Kalima, who urged civilians to leave. All three towns are held by Laurent Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo- Zaire.
At least six people were killed and at least 20 were injured in Bukavu after two Zairian government jets dropped four bombs on the city. The international aid group Doctors Without Borders said its members had counted nine dead and 37 injured.
The attack was the first government aerial activity reported since rebels launched an offensive last October. "My staff and I are sheltering in the basement," one aid worker told Reuters. "We can see people running back and forth looking for shelter."
There were no immediate casualty reports from Shabunda and Walikale, although the Zairian Defense Ministry said Walikale had been "razed."
Zaire's government has refused to negotiate with the mostly Tutsi rebels, and it has accused the United Nations of ignoring what it calls "a campaign of extermination" against Rwandan Hutu refugees in Zaire.
In turn, the United Nations has accused the Zairian government of arming the Rwandan Hutus, specifically in the massive Tingi-Tingi camp in eastern Zaire. Zairian officials deny the charges.
Rebel leader Laurent Kabila threatened to "hit (Tingi-Tingi) badly" if the arms supplies were not stopped, but said Sunday he would give U.N. officials more time to separate the armed Hutus from the rest of the refugees.
Zaire's ethnic Banyamulenge Tutsis launched the war after Zairian authorities denied them citizenship and planned to expel them to Rwanda, their ancestral home.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Tingi-Tingi refugees, sick, hungry, brace for armed struggle - February 17, 1997
- Zaire confirms new rebel win in east - February 4, 1997
- Commissioner finds refugees in 'deplorable' conditions - February 3, 1997
Related sites:
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- Crisis in Central Africa
- Medecins Sans Frontieres International
- Twenty people are dying daily at Tingi Tingi, Zaire - January 14, 1997
- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
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