French Mirage jets hummed over remote eastern Congo on Sunday, as French troops move in to try and stop fighting between rival tribal militias who have ransacked the town of Bunia and killed hundreds of people. The jets, on a reconnaissance mission from French bases at Ndjamena in Chad and Libreville in Gabon, will provide close air support for the French-led force on the ground. Around 100 French soldiers arrived in Bunia on Friday, the advance party of a 1,400-strong multinational force. More troops were expected to arrive in Bunia on Monday. A few armoured vehicles and consignments of ammunition were flown in over the weekend. Some 350 soldiers were leaving France later on Sunday for Uganda on their way to join the force, a defence ministry official in Paris said. After two weeks of relative calm, fighting erupted again on Saturday as ethnic Lendu militias attacked Bunia, now controlled by the rival Hema group, UPC (Union of Congolese Patriots). Full Story
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