French troops exchanged gunfire with militiamen on Sunday in the northeastern Congolese town of Bunia, where an international force has given gunmen a three-day ultimatum to leave town. Colonel Gerard Dubois, spokesman for the mostly French international force sent to shield civilians in the town from tribal slaughter, said there were no casualties on either side. “The militiamen engaged the patrol, which responded,” Dubois told reporters at Bunia airport where several French light tanks were lined up near rows of green military tents. “The force is determined to secure the town of Bunia and this event is a clear message to all militia groups to cease their aggression towards the population,” he said. Dubois said the militiamen threw a hand grenade at the French soldiers, but it failed to explode. He said the troops encountered the militiamen after residents told them the gunmen were looting a dispensary on the southern edge of town. The militiamen fled, leaving behind a gun and a pick-up truck. The international force has opened fire several times since it began deploying to Bunia on June 6 under a U.N. mandate to safeguard residents from clashes between militia allied to the Hema and Lendu tribes that killed hundreds last month. Full Story
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