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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2010 10:11 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2010 10:11
News | Africa | Central Africa

Armed group claims firing at UN chopper in DRC

KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Nov 27 2009 15:52
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An armed movement calling itself the Patriots-Resistance of Dongo on Friday claimed responsibility for firing at a United Nations helicopter in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"The patriots-resistance have again inflicted a resounding failure on the occupation forces and have retaken the town of Dongo. A Monuc [UN mission in DRC] helicopter engaged in the fighting was hit by our fire," said a statement signed by Ambroise Lobala Mokobe, spokesperson for the movement.

The movement in the northwestern region also swore to overthrow the "puppet regime" in Kinshasa and claimed that it included members of the FAZ (former Zairean army) and deserters from the Congolese armed forces (FARDC).

On Thurday, a Monuc helicopter that flew to Dongo to resupply about 20 UN troops on the spot was fired at on the ground. Five of the 30 people on board were injured and the pilot had to take off fast to land instead in the neighbouring Republic of Congo.

In their confused statement, the Patriots-Resistance alleged that Rwandan occupation forces were in the region and they denounced the "complicity" of Monuc "with the Mafia-like imperialists."

"We take the engagement before God and before all the Congolese to topple the puppet regime currently in place in Kinshasa," the statement added.

Dongo was attacked on October 29 and 30 by a group from the Lobala community (also known as the Enyele), which targetted the Bamboma (or Boba) community. Both sides have frequently disputed the fishing resources of the region.

The violence, which has since spread to other villages, left at least 100 dead, mainly in Dongo, who were either hacked with machetes or shot, while a number drowned trying to cross the Oubangi river, which marks the border with the Congo Republic.

At least 53 000 people have fled the violence. About 37 000 are in the north of the Congo Republic, while 16 000 others have remained in the DRC. -- AFP

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Ambroise Lobala Mokobe is a scavenger and a plunderer of cadavers who's based somewhere in Europe--London probably. He claims to be issuing his communiques from Dongo, a village with no electricity and with no Internet access. He's already soliciting donations on the Internet for the so-called "patriots-resisters of Dongo"... Everyone knows what's happening in Dongo and the surrounding area: members of the Enyele clan went on a rampage killing about one hundred members of the Monzaya clan in a dispute over halieutic resources. After the initial barbaric attacks, about 40,000 people fled to the neighboring Congo-Brazzaville. It's ethnic cleansing! Is this scavenger owning ethnic cleansing?
Alex Engwete on November 29, 2009, 9:28 am
It is easy to guess Mr Ambroise Lobala Mokobe’s motivations. It is quite fascinating to see how close his baseless discourse is from that of the sadly notorious Mr Honore Ngbanda alias Terminator. These people are opportunists ready to do anything to try and justify their illegal residence statuses wherever they happen to be. They have now engaged in a barbaric ethnic cleansing and even boast to have attacked a United Nations helicopter. How many more deaths does the world need before it is decided to track them down and bring them to justice? When the Congolese government will send in armed forces, some enlightened activists will seize the occasion to write, yet, some more biased essays on human rights abuses in the D R Congo. STOP Honore Ngbanda now. It is a shame that he is trying to use the tragedy of Dongo to promote his longing nostalgia for the Mobutu era.
Rock KABALA on December 4, 2009, 8:59 pm
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