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DR Congo

Congo: more casualties and refugees after army raids

The regular Congolese army (FARDC) reports that it has killed at least 47 rebels while 150,000 civilians have been driven from their homes after last Sunday's offensive and takeover of Dongo. As of October 29, the army and police backed by the UN peacekeeping force (MONUC) have attempted to hunt down a group of insurgents calling themselves 'patriotic-resistors', and to restore security after weeks of intercommunity clashes for the control of fish rich waters. The latest FARDC offensive has pushed more families to seek refuge in the neighboring Republic of Congo or in other areas of the DR Congo bordering Dongo: so far at least 150,000 people are said to have left their homes. UN sources said that 500 peacekeepers have been deployed in a temporary base in Gemena and Bozene (northwestern province of the Equateur) to back the FARDC, which have resumed control of Dongo so far, asking the population to return. [AB]