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Congo rebels accused of war crimes, advance further

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-07 09:45

But Nkunda denied his men had killed civilians.

"It was against the Mai-Mai (militia) and many were in civilian dress," he told Reuters by telephone. Rebel commander Major Muhire said Mai-Mai attacked first: "Last night we were attacked by the Mai-Mai and we reacted. That's all."

Rebel soldiers loyal to rebel General Laurent Nkunda return from the front to the town of Rutshuru, north of the city of Goma, eastern Congo, November 6, 2008. [Agencies]

Related readings:  Hungry Congo refugees get soap, no food  Children bear brunt of Congo's humanitarian crisis  Congo 'catastrophe' feared as Goma fears the worst  Congo soldiers fleeing Goma along with refugees

MONUC military spokesman Lt-Col Jean-Paul Dietrich, said: "Even if they were (Mai-Mai) fighters and surrendered, and were then killed, that would be a criminal act".

Dietrich told Reuters that Nkunda's rebel forces had also occupied other villages about 80 km (50 miles) north of the North Kivu provincial capital Goma. Nkunda advanced to the outskirts of Goma last week, before declaring a ceasefire.

"They have taken Nyanzale and Kikuku, therefore breaking their own declared ceasefire. Now it's clear they are trying to have a territory completely under their control," Dietrich said.

Nkunda said his forces were maintaining the ceasefire.

Aid agencies scrambled to provide food and medical care to 200,000 refugees crammed in camps around and just north of Goma.

But relief workers say that many of over 1 million displaced civilians in North Kivu are out of reach, cut off by fighting, hiding in the bush or isolated in rebel or militia-held zones.

The latest fighting around Rutshuru has worsened a humanitarian situation already described as "catastrophic" by aid agencies in a country where more than 5 million people have died in a decade from conflict, hunger and disease.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on his way to a regional summit on the crisis to be held in Nairobi on Friday, called for all forces to return to positions they held at end-August.

Ban has asked the Security Council to approve a "surge" of 3,000 extra peacekeepers for Congo, but in the midst of a global financial crisis UN officials say that could take months.

Ban has said he will urge Congolese President Joseph Kabila to speak with Nkunda. Kabila's government has refused to talk directly to the rebels, who say otherwise they will attack Goma.

Congo and Rwanda have accused each other of supporting feuding rebel and militia groups in east Congo.

Nkunda says his 4-year-old revolt aims to defend Congolese Tutsis and accuses Kabila's army of backing Rwandan Hutu rebels in Congo. Congo has accused Tutsi-led Rwanda of backing Nkunda, which Kigali denies.

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