Shell kills UN soldier in Congo violence

A UNITED Nations (UN) peacekeeper in Congo was killed by an exploding shell, an official said yesterday, as rebels in the country’s volatile east took a 
border crossing into Uganda.

The Indian peacekeeper was killed on Thursday as fighters from the M23 rebel group attempted to take the town of Bunagana, said Madnodje Mounoubai, the UN spokesman
in Congo.

“I confirm the death of a peacekeeper of Indian origin working for the United Nations mission in Congo,” he said. “He was hit by an exploding shell during an attack by the M23 mutineers in Bunagana last night.”

Congo’s two-year-long peace was shattered in April when an army unit led by General Bosco Ntaganda defected. It fled into the bush, where it regrouped as the M23 rebels, named for the date in March 2009 when the former rebels signed a deal with the Congolese government, allowing them to be integrated into the very army they have now deserted once more.

After controlling the mountaintops, the rebels earlier this week made a push and seized the strategic village of Jambo, cutting access to the border crossing of Bunagana into Uganda and Rwanda. They took Bunagana, according to a spokesman for the rebels as well as a resident of the town who requested anonymity fearing reprisal.

“We took the town of Bunagana this morning at around 6am but we do not plan to stay,” said M23 spokesman Vianney Kazarama. “We plan to leave our police there for security, but we are going to return to our initial positions in the surrounding hills … We do not need to take the towns or the villages even if we control several now. We are only asking the government of Kinshasa to respond to our demands, which are known by all.”

A UN report said that the rebels are led by Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and backed by Rwanda – a charge Rwanda
denies.