Fresh doubts over peacekeeping mission as three killed in Congo attack

Dozens of rebels attacked a United Nations peacekeeping base under darkness in eastern Congo early yesterday, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding seven other peacekeepers.

Indian army spokesman Virendra Singh said up to 50 rebels attacked a base in Kirumba in North Kivu province at about 2am, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

Nearly 4,000 Indian army soldiers are part of the UN Congo peacekeeping mission, which has about 20,000 people from various countries. Jado Ikosi, a human rights activist who lives nearby, said that gangs entered the Kirumba base after killing the guard with a spear.

Mr Ikosi said locals heard gunshots from 1:30am to 2am, but the attackers had fled the scene by the time people awoke in the morning. The attackers left behind shoes that fell off when they were fleeing and signs of blood on the fences surrounding the base, he said.

Repeated rebel attacks in Congo have called into question the ability of the UN force to protect civilians. The mission, known as MONUC, has lost more than 100 peacekeepers since 1999.

Congo's president has said that he wants all the peacekeepers out before September 2011 and the UN started a nominal withdrawal last month. UN humanitarian chief John Holmes and humanitarian groups, though, have warned that violence may spiral out of control if the peacekeepers all leave.