UN forces occupy Congolese militia base

UN peacekeeping forces launched a military operation on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo'snortheast Ituri province and occupied a local militia camp, a UN special mission announced Monday.

The mission said in a communique that under the support of two helicopters, about 300 soldiers of the UN peacekeeping forces fought with the Army of the Congolese People, killing two Congolese armed rebels. The operation was the largest one taken bythe UN forces in the African country. About 100 rebels fled to nearby forests.

The operation aimed at investigating reports that the Congolesearmed group extorted civilians and persecuted child combatants, the communique said.

The communique also accused armed groups in Ituri of violating the disarmament agreement signed by the UN special mission and theDemocratic Republic of Congo's transitional government in September.

On May 14, chiefs of various armed groups in Ituri signed an agreement in Kinshasa, promising to stop extorting local people and lay down their arms.

Ituri province remains a hot spot after Congo's 1998-2002 war. The province is home to an estimated 15,000 combatants to be disarmed under the UN-Congolese disarmament campaign.

Source: Xinhua