Forces aim to restore order in Congo

BUNIA, Congo -- More French troops arrived Tuesday in northeast Congo to lead an international force aimed at restoring order in a region where tribal fighting has killed hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee their homes.

A detachment of about 100 troops, armed with assault rifles, emerged from two cargo planes that arrived in Bunia from neighboring Uganda. Another 50 were expected to reach the town later in the day, said Capt. Frederic Solano, a spokesman for the detachment.

Several dozen French special forces began securing Bunia's airport, four miles west of town, on Friday and about 700 other troops remain at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, to prepare for the last leg of their deployment.

Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, is the center of fighting between the rival Hema and Lendu tribes, who both seek to control the town.

Bunia is controlled by the Hema, who fight under the name of the Union of Congolese Patriots. On Saturday, hundreds of fighters using assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns clashed on the muddy streets of the town.

A French-led, French-majority force of some 1,400 troops is under a United Nations and European Union mandate to restore order. More than half will be combat troops, while the remainder will have support roles, said the force spokesman, Col. Gerard Dubois.

French Mirage jets based in Gabon and Chad will support the force, Dubois said.

Sense of responsibility

"Europe is starting to sense an affinity and responsibility for this area, and this operation is an expression of that," he said. "You see a lot of French uniforms here today. This is because France was the first asked to help and was ready to get troops here very quickly."

The multinational force, which is expected to be deployed for three months, is supposed to reinforce some 750 U.N. troops, mostly from Uruguay, in the town.

The U.N. troops are part of a mission to Congo to monitor a 1999 cease-fire and are mandated to protect U.N. installations and personnel. They can fire only in self-defense and have not attempted to halt the violence.

The international force will be authorized to shoot to kill and is supposed to secure Bunia and the airport and protect aid workers and civilians.

"It's a real soldier's mission. The mandate is very precise, and I have forces tailored specifically to the mission," force commander French Brig. Gen. Jean-Paul Thonier said.

The force does not have a mandate to disarm tribal fighters, many of them children, who roam the streets on foot or in battered vehicles.

Nor will the French-led force be deployed in areas outside the town and airport, even though violence affects many other parts of Ituri, roughly twice the size of New Jersey.

The composition of the remainder of the force, which does not operate under U.N. command nor wear the hallmark blue helmets of U.N. peacekeepers, has not yet been confirmed. But Canadian and Belgian forces are in Entebbe to provide air and logistical support, Dubois said.

Lt. Col. Ejaz Kahoon Abid, one of four Pakistani officers who visited Bunia Tuesday, said his country could contribute 200-300 troops, but the details have not been finalized.

The war in Congo erupted in August 1998 after Rwanda and Uganda sent troops to back rebels attempting to oust then-President Laurent Kabila. Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia sent troops to support Kabila.

The foreign troops have all withdrawn, but rebel groups and tribal militia in eastern Congo still are supported by Uganda and Rwanda.