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| UN fears grow over Congo unrest | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The UN says it is deeply concerned about the plight of tens of thousands of people fleeing a rebel advance on Goma in eastern DR Congo. | |
| Police are trying to arrest retreating soldiers blamed for causing chaotic scenes in the Congolese city, which was calm but tense early on Thursday. | |
| Oxfam and other aid agencies said they had decided to evacuate international staff from Goma. | |
| The UN Security Council urged the rebel leader to implement his ceasefire. | The UN Security Council urged the rebel leader to implement his ceasefire. |
| An emergency session of the council also expressed alarm over cross-border firing between DR Congo and Rwanda. Many of the population that have fled are staying in vacant schools, in churches and outside Unicef's Jaya Murthy | |
| Tutsi rebel CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda, whose forces are just outside Goma, declared a ceasefire on Wednesday night and urged others to do the same. | Tutsi rebel CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda, whose forces are just outside Goma, declared a ceasefire on Wednesday night and urged others to do the same. |
| The Security Council took no action on a request from the country's mission head, Alan Doss, for temporary reinforcements but said some of its peacekeepers could be redeployed from elsewhere in DR Congo to back up those in Goma. | The Security Council took no action on a request from the country's mission head, Alan Doss, for temporary reinforcements but said some of its peacekeepers could be redeployed from elsewhere in DR Congo to back up those in Goma. |
| See detailed map of the area | See detailed map of the area |
| The UN children's agency Unicef said the latest bout of fighting had resulted in a "very bad" humanitarian situation. | |
| "We're talking tens of thousands of people who have fled towards Goma and thousands more who are fleeing north to a town called Kane Byunga," Unicef's Jaya Murthy told the BBC's World Today programme. | "We're talking tens of thousands of people who have fled towards Goma and thousands more who are fleeing north to a town called Kane Byunga," Unicef's Jaya Murthy told the BBC's World Today programme. |
| "Many of the population that have fled are staying in vacant schools, in churches and outside." class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7698459.stm">Exodus as terror spreads class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7693828.stm">In pictures: Thousands flee fighting class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3075537.stm">Q&A: DR Congo conflict class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5567&edition=1">Send us your comments | |
| Oxfam said national staff had been advised to stay at home, but it was hoping to resume humanitarian work for more than 65,000 people in Goma's camps soon. | |
| Overnight, Goma resident Tawite Anthony told the BBC that there were "uncontrolled soldiers who were looting all over the city". | |
| He said he had seen the dead body of one man who had apparently been shot by the police while trying to break into a shop. | |
| Some people were fleeing to Rwanda, he said. "Everybody's afraid of the wars. They are fearing what will happen next." | |
| The BBC's Thomas Fessy in Goma said the atmosphere was calm but tense after a night of gunfire and looting. | |
| He said he had seen a body with bullet wounds, but was still unclear how many people had been killed or injured overnight. Advertisement | |
| Thousands of displaced people have been fleeing | Thousands of displaced people have been fleeing |
| Earlier UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to the fighting, which he said was creating a "humanitarian catastrophe". | Earlier UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to the fighting, which he said was creating a "humanitarian catastrophe". |
| Mr Ban said he deplored the deliberate targeting of civilians and their use as human shields and said UN peacekeepers were "doing everything possible to protect civilians and fulfil their mandate in untenable circumstances". | Mr Ban said he deplored the deliberate targeting of civilians and their use as human shields and said UN peacekeepers were "doing everything possible to protect civilians and fulfil their mandate in untenable circumstances". |
| Correspondents say the 17,000-strong UN force in DR Congo - the world's largest - is stretched to breaking point. | Correspondents say the 17,000-strong UN force in DR Congo - the world's largest - is stretched to breaking point. |
| Gen Nkunda told the BBC the goal of his forces was to protect his Tutsi community from attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom are accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide. | Gen Nkunda told the BBC the goal of his forces was to protect his Tutsi community from attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom are accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide. |
| A peace deal was signed in Goma between the government and various rebel groups at the end of January. | A peace deal was signed in Goma between the government and various rebel groups at the end of January. |
| Although he signed the deal, Gen Nkunda has refused to disarm while Rwandan Hutu rebels still operate in the area. | Although he signed the deal, Gen Nkunda has refused to disarm while Rwandan Hutu rebels still operate in the area. |
| The AP news agency reported Mr Nkunda as saying on Thursday that he wanted direct negotiations with the government about security and his objections to a $5bn (£3.1bn) deal that gives China access to the region's mineral resources. | |
| Some observers say that the fighting in eastern DR Congo is really over control of resources. | |
| Meanwhile, US assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said she had no evidence that Rwanda was directly involved in the fighting. | |
| Rwandan Foreign Minister Rosemary Museminali was due to meet Congo's President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa on Thursday, AFP news agency reported. | |
| Return to top | Return to top |
| Are you in Democratic Republic of Congo? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. | Are you in Democratic Republic of Congo? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. |