Peacekeepers launch raid in eastern Congo

[seemslikeadream]

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Posted: 1418 GMT (2218 HKT)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- U.N. peacekeepers backed by helicopter gunships staged another massive assault Tuesday against militia in eastern Congo who have killed thousands in a years-old ethnic conflict, a U.N. spokesman said.

The attack came on the day human rights activists released a report charging that U.N. peacekeepers knowingly gunned down civilians during a raid last month that targeted a marketplace.

Accused of years of ineffectiveness, peacekeepers now are aggressively pursuing their threat to forcefully disarm fighters after about 6,000 militia defied an April 1 ultimatum to surrender weapons. Some 9,000 fighters did give up their weapons.

Tuesday's assault targeted a militia camp 38 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Bunia, capital of violent Ituri province, and involved 300 peacekeepers and two attack helicopters, U.N. spokesman Mohammad Abdul-Wahab said by telephone from Bunia.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/04/12/congo.peacekeepers.ap/