Rwandans Shelled as They, Ugandans Stay Put in Congo
Ugandan shells rained down on Rwandan positions, and neither side’s forces made a move to leave this Congolese port city Tuesday, a day after both Uganda and Rwanda agreed to withdraw their troops.
Rwandan army commanders said their emplacements at Bangoka airport, 10 miles northeast of Kisangani, were targeted by 70 mortar shells from the direction of the Ugandan military base before dawn Tuesday. There were no casualties, and Ugandan military officials refused to comment.
The shelling was the latest development in Kisangani’s conflict, which is an offshoot of Congo’s civil war.
Uganda and Rwanda each back a different group of rebels, both of which are opposed to Congolese President Laurent Kabila. Both countries’ troops are deployed in Kisangani in support of the rebels, and both view the city as a strategic rear base.
About 5,500 U.N. troops are to deploy in Congo as part of the peace process to end the 21-month civil war in which Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia are entangled along with Rwanda and Uganda.
On Monday, a U.N. Security Council team led by U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke helped mediate an agreement between Uganda and Rwanda to hand control of Kisangani over to a U.N. force. But there was little sign Tuesday that either side was preparing to depart.
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