Congolese Armed Forces Shell Rebel Positions

Congolese soldiers patrol through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The upsurge in rebel attacks in 2008 had created the conditions for the possible intervention of the US and EU., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Congolese Armed Forces shell rebel positions

Thu May 17, 2012 10:55PM GMT
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The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have shelled positions of rebels, who have been fighting the forces in the east of the country.

On Thursday, the FARDC bombarded tank artillery on the hills of Mbuzi and Tchanzu in the restive Nord Kivu province, receiving no return fire, AFP reported.

According to a spokesman for the rebels, they did not retreat, although, several people were wounded by the military’s fire.

The FARDC believes that hundreds of mutineers are gathered in the Rutshuru territory on the border with Rwanda and Uganda.

The military has been fighting the mutineers since late April.

On Monday, fierce fighting continued in eastern DR Congo where the rebels, who are mostly defectors from the Army, are led by General Jean Bosco Ntaganda.

More than 10,000 people have fled the violence to Rwanda and Uganda over the past few days.

Led by Ntaganda, hundreds of former members of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebelled against Kinshasa last month in protest over mistreatment in the FARDC.

The CNDP was a rebel militia group that split from the FARDC. In 2009, a peace treaty was signed by the rebels and the Congolese government, which integrated the CNDP into the FARDC.

Congo has faced numerous problems over the past few decades, such as grinding poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and a war in the east that has dragged on for over a decade and left over 5.5 million people dead.