U.N. force launches Congo offensive

Welcome to Philippines Defense Forces Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

U.N. force launches Congo offensive; Operation Falcon Sweep
Tweet Topic Started: Jul 7 2005, 06:48 PM (521 Views)
saver111	Jul 7 2005, 06:48 PM Post #1
PDFF Moderator Posts: 10,625 Group: PDFF Mod Group Member #408 Joined: March 23, 2005	U.N. force launches Congo offensive Tuesday, July 5, 2005; Posted: 10:09 a.m. EDT (14:09 GMT) KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Using special forces troops and attack helicopters, U.N. peacekeepers have launched an operation to rid eastern Congo of armed militia, a United Nations spokesman said Tuesday. Operation Falcon Sweep began Monday in the forest-covered mountains of South Kivu province, a dense region controlled by several militia accused of raping, killing and kidnapping hundreds of residents every month, said U.N. military spokesman Thierry Provendier. "The aim is to secure the civilian population in this area," said Provendier. "If these armed groups refuse to leave, we will use force to chase them out." Provendier declined to estimate how long it would take peacekeepers to drive out the militia. Small units of Guatemalan special forces and Congolese troops are meeting with militia commanders, telling them to relinquish control of the area and leave, said Provendier. Provendier said any militia holdouts would face elite soldiers and attack helicopters. Operation Falcon Sweep will continue until all armed groups are out of the area, Provendier said. Last month, the U.N. general in charge of peacekeepers in eastern Congo said the operation had been planned for months, with Pakistani and Guatemalan peacekeepers carefully training and planning how to maneuver in the dense forests, where ambushes by militia are expected. Much of the mountainous region is controlled by about Rwandan Hutu rebels from the group Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, who fled into eastern Congo after the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda. Elements of Mayi-Mayi and Rasta militias are also being targeted by peacekeepers. In May, Rasta militiamen killed and mutilated 18 people. In March, Hutu rebel leader Ignace Murwanashyaka said his 8,000 troops -- many of whom admit killing in Rwanda's genocide -- were ready to disarm and return to Rwanda after a decade living in the bush. The United Nations has volunteered to help lead the repatriation, but the process has been slow. Rebels say they fear being imprisoned or killed upon returning, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been reluctant to give guarantees of amnesty. Rwandan Hutu rebels have been a massive stumbling block in the path of peace in Congo. Rwanda invaded Congo twice, in 1996 and 1998, to drive out the rebels, who they claim were planning another slaughter across the border in Rwanda. The 1998 invasion sparked a five-year war that killed nearly 4 million people, mostly from starvation and disease, aid groups say.
	Justice for Daniel Lorenz Jacinto HELP END PIRACY NOW!: http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm


Chowking	Jul 7 2005, 08:06 PM Post #2
Member Posts: 591 Group: Regulars Member #250 Joined: December 26, 2004	the BD must be there SF RRF (RAPID REACTION FORCE) they are SF of UN



saver111	Jul 21 2005, 01:21 PM Post #3
PDFF Moderator Posts: 10,625 Group: PDFF Mod Group Member #408 Joined: March 23, 2005	UN forces flush out Rwanda rebels United Nations peacekeepers have burnt down the main Rwandan rebel base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after calling on the rebels to leave. Some 800 of the rebels fled into the surrounding mountains as UN troops set their mud huts ablaze. The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in the eastern village of Miranda says residents fear a revenge attack as the UN force has flown out of the area. The UN wants the rebels to disarm and return to Rwanda. Much of DR Congo's South Kivu region is under the control of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), accused of responsibility for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. They say they do not want to go back to Rwanda unless they are granted amnesty. No-go area The FDLR's political wing and senior commanders were based in the camp in Miranda, our correspondent says. The UN made contact with them, warning them to pull out of the area at the start of Operation Falcon Sweep to push the rebel forces back home. After they failed to comply, some 1,200 UN troops arrived on Wednesday by helicopter to flush out the rebels in a joint initiative with the Congolese army. Our reporter says Congolese soldiers are expected to deploy to the mountains outside the town of Bukavu in a few days time, which until the UN swoop was a no-go area for them. Nobody was injured in the UN mission, but our correspondent says that civilians, while pleased that the rebels have left, are scared they will come back and take revenge before the army arrives. They say the rebels are some 5km away and have threatened to return at night, accusing the villagers of co-operating with the UN. The presence of the Rwandan rebels has led to years of fighting in eastern Congo. Rwanda has twice invaded, saying it is trying to wipe out the rebels. They were supposed to have been disarmed under a 2003 peace deal.
	Justice for Daniel Lorenz Jacinto HELP END PIRACY NOW!: http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm


1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)


« Previous Topic · World Military News and Issues · Next Topic »