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12/06/2004:

"Thousands flee clashes in east Congo"

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) -- Thousands of civilians have fled their homes after clashes in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said on Friday, but it was unclear who was behind the violence.

The United States expressed concern about the situation in eastern Congo, particularly reports of Rwandan troops operating in the area, and said it would press all sides to abide by peace agreements.

Diplomats in the Great Lakes region said Rwandan troops pushed briefly into the vast Central African country early this week to hunt down Hutu rebels, some of whom took part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

"Instability in the area means we don't have an exact number but one (non-governmental organisation) estimates 46,000 people are hiding in the forests of Pinga and Walikale," Jahal de Meritens, head of the U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Congo (OCHA), said in a statement
Full Article: cnn.com