Protest shuts airport in Congo

KINSHASA – Hundreds of people blocked access to an airport in eastern Congo on Wednesday, shutting down UN and commercial flights in a protest against the lack of protection from attacks by Rwandan rebels, officials said.

UN peacekeepers and Congolese government soldiers had to fire into the air to disperse crowds that turned violent when Pakistani soldiers tried to reopen the road between Bukavu and the town’s airport at Kavumu, 35km away, they added. Bukavu is the capital of South Kivu, one of several provinces in the lawless east where thousands of Rwandan rebels continue to operate, ahead of historic polls that are meant to draw a line under Congo’s last war, which sucked in neighbouring armies and spawned countless militias.”About 300 demonstrators went out and blocked the road to the airport to demonstrate against the rise in insecurity and the lack of action by the UN and the army,” said Sylvie Van den Wildenberg, spokesperson for the UN mission in Bukavu.”We have not had access to the airport today – the blue helmets and the Congolese army had to fire in the air because the protest became aggressive,” she added.No one was injured by bullets but at least one person – a UN security officer – was hurt when people in the crowd began throwing stones, she said.Another UN source said flights in and out of Bukavu, a town on Congo’s border with Rwanda, had been grounded all day.”There have been some killings by the FDLR recently,” South Kivu’s Vice Governor Thomas Nziratimana said, referring to Rwandan Hutu rebels based in Congo’s east.”They are coming close to the town and it is creating tensions.”The FDLR is one of a plethora of foreign and local armed groups that still operate in eastern Congo, where there is easy access to mines and the central government’s authority is weak.The Rwandan rebels have reneged on agreements made last year to disarm and return home peacefully and UN peacekeepers have tried to help the fledgling Congolese army to force them out.But the government forces remain chaotic and in the past have collaborated with the rebels, undermining operations.Meanwhile, UN soldiers are spread thinly across the vast country and are reluctant to provoke retaliatory attacks on civilians they are unable to defend.”The FDLR are reacting against operations against them.They are trying to show they can stand up to it,” Nziratimana said.As violence continues, Congo plans to hold elections, which have been repeatedly delayed and are now scheduled for June 30.The 1998-2003 war killed four million people, mainly through hunger and disease.- ReutersBukavu is the capital of South Kivu, one of several provinces in the lawless east where thousands of Rwandan rebels continue to operate, ahead of historic polls that are meant to draw a line under Congo’s last war, which sucked in neighbouring armies and spawned countless militias.”About 300 demonstrators went out and blocked the road to the airport to demonstrate against the rise in insecurity and the lack of action by the UN and the army,” said Sylvie Van den Wildenberg, spokesperson for the UN mission in Bukavu.”We have not had access to the airport today – the blue helmets and the Congolese army had to fire in the air because the protest became aggressive,” she added.No one was injured by bullets but at least one person – a UN security officer – was hurt when people in the crowd began throwing stones, she said.Another UN source said flights in and out of Bukavu, a town on Congo’s border with Rwanda, had been grounded all day.”There have been some killings by the FDLR recently,” South Kivu’s Vice Governor Thomas Nziratimana said, referring to Rwandan Hutu rebels based in Congo’s east.”They are coming close to the town and it is creating tensions.”The FDLR is one of a plethora of foreign and local armed groups that still operate in eastern Congo, where there is easy access to mines and the central government’s authority is weak.The Rwandan rebels have reneged on agreements made last year to disarm and return home peacefully and UN peacekeepers have tried to help the fledgling Congolese army to force them out.But the government forces remain chaotic and in the past have collaborated with the rebels, undermining operations.Meanwhile, UN soldiers are spread thinly across the vast country and are reluctant to provoke retaliatory attacks on civilians they are unable to defend.”The FDLR are reacting against operations against them.They are trying to show they can stand up to it,” Nziratimana said.As violence continues, Congo plans to hold elections, which have been repeatedly delayed and are now scheduled for June 30.The 1998-2003 war killed four million people, mainly through hunger and disease.- Reuters