(August 20, 2010) Dozens of rebels attacked a U.N. peacekeeping base under darkness
in eastern Congo early Wednesday, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding seven
other peacekeepers, an Indian army official said. Indian army spokesman Virendra
Singh said up to 50 rebels attacked a base in Kirumba in North Kivu province around
2 a.m., leading to an exchange of gunfire. Nearly 4,000 Indian army soldiers are part
of the U.N. Congo peacekeeping mission, which has about 20,000 people from various
countries. Jado Ikosi, a human rights activist who lives near the Kirumba peacekeeping
base, told The Associated Press that gangs entered the base after killing the guard
with a spear. Ikosi said locals heard gunshots from 1:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., but the
attackers had fled the scene by the time people awoke in the morning. The attackers
left behind shoes that fell off when they were fleeing and signs of blood on the fences
surrounding the base, he said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. Security
Council condemned the attack and called on Congo's government to launch an immediate
investigation and ensure that the perpetrators are «swiftly» brought to justice. The
council and the U.N. chief, in separate statements, also sent condolences to the Indian
government and the families of the three soldiers and expressed strong support for
the U.N. peacekeeping mission. The council demanded that «all parties cooperate fully»
with its operations. The mission has lost more than 100 peacekeepers since 1999. Congo's
president has said that he wants all the peacekeepers out before September 2011 and
the U.N. started a nominal withdrawal last month. Kirumba is around 150 kilometres
north of Goma, the capital of the volatile North Kivu province.