French troops arrive in Congo

Published on 07/06/2003 01:00

FRENCH troops arrived to cheers from residents in the Congo town of Bunia yesterday in the first deployment of a 1,400-strong rapid reaction force to stop bloodletting among rival militias. The United Nations says 500 civilians have been killed in ethnic fighting in and around the north-eastern town in the past month and 50,000 have died since 1999.

Residents were relieved. "It’s what we have been waiting for," said a teacher, Dieudonne Macheka. "People are waiting for the forces to arrive so they can leave their hiding places."

A 700-strong UN mission is in the region, but its mandate is limited and militias linked to the Hema and Lendu tribes have killed hundreds despite their presence.

Militiamen from both sides, often drugged or drunk, have raped, looted and forced thousands of civilians from Bunia, a dilapidated settlement of more than 200,000 people near the border with Uganda.