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Congo rebels declare cease-fire to prevent panic |
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Congolese rebels say they are instituting a unilateral cease-fire around the eastern provincial capital of Goma to prevent panic as the army retreats and residents flee.
The rebels made the announcement Wednesday in a statement as gunfire crackled throughout the city, apparently from the retreating troops who residents said are out of control.
A U.N. spokesman welcomed the announcement but said it was not yet clear if the "simple declaration" was being followed by action.
Spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai confirmed that Goma was generally in a state of panic but confirmed the rebels were not in the city. He said peacekeepers were at the airport and at in other strategic points.
Congolese soldiers in retreat commandeered vehicles and fired wildly as they moved through Goma.
Refugees said the Tutsi rebels had overrun Kibati, a village seven miles (12 kilometers) to the north that was housing thousands of people. They now are among the people streaming through the city.
Goma's governor Julien Mpaluku said panic was spreading. He said he could not confirm that the army had deserted Goma, but stressed that U.N. peacekeepers were still in charge and that rebels had not yet entered the city.
U.N. spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai confirmed the rebels were not in the city and said peacekeepers were at the airport and at in other strategic points.
Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has threatened to take Goma despite calls from the U.N. Security Council for him to respect a cease-fire brokered by the U.N. in January.
The U.N. says its biggest peacekeeping mission -- a 17,000-strong force -- is now stretched to the limit with the upsurge of fighting and needs more troops quickly from wherever it can get them. Troops from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uruguay and South Africa make up most of the existing force.
A senior European Union military official said Wednesday that the 27-nation bloc was equipped and ready to send soldiers to Congo to reinforce the peacekeepers, if called upon. Gen. Henri Bentegea suggested the forces could be used if all member nations agreed, but other officials said the bloc was not now considering sending troops.
The Congolese army said troops from Rwanda had crossed the nearby border and attacked its soldiers earlier Wednesday, which raised tensions that could widen the conflict to include neighboring countries.
Rwanda's Tutsi-led government immediately denied its troops had attacked. But Congo turned to neighbor Angola for help "defending territorial integrity." One of the back-to-back wars that afflicted Congo from 1996 to 2002 embroiled eight African nations and became a rush at the country's vast mineral riches.
Angolan state radio indicated Congo was seeking primarily political and diplomatic support, but International Cooperation Minister Raymond Tshibanda asked the Angolan president Tuesday night for "a promise of engagement, help in saving lives, defending territorial integrity and establishing the state's authority throughout the country."
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