Congo: 19 militiamen killed
At least 19 militiamen and one Congolese soldier were killed in two days of fighting as hundreds of Congolese soldiers backed by UN peacekeepers attacked a rebel stronghold.
Some 1,000 Congolese soldiers backed by 300 UN peacekeepers launched the attack on Monday to dislodge a rebel group known as the Revolutionary Movement of Congo around the town of Similiki.
One Congolese soldier was killed in fighting and three other injured soldiers were evacuated.
Securing the vast and lawless east is a priority for Congo’s government and the 17,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, the world’s largest, in the run-up to Congo’s first presidential elections in 45 years, slated for March next year.
