Press Review 7 January 2005
With respect to the foreign troops, Le Phare titles MONUC has spotted FDLR camps. The paper refers to it as « a decisive step in the international community's struggle against the Rwandan rebels». Referring to a cartography drawn by the UN Mission in the DRC, a copy of which was received by the paper, it applauds the UN/FARDC military awareness campaign of the Rwandan rebels' « MONUC has finally spotted FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) in North Kivu », the paper writes. « Another meaningful breakthrough», Le Phare says: « Interhamwe's positions, whose troops estimated at about 11,000, have been spotted. »
Whilst Le Potentiel maintains that MONUC has spotted FDLR camps, L'AVENIR, in turn, alerts to « Imminent attacks on Beni, Butembo and Bukavu » According to the paper, « fighting can break out in Walikale, Beni and Butembo, North Kivu province and in Bukavu, South Kivu any time now». The same paper goes on to quote some « reliable sources in Goma » as indicating, « the MONUC-imposed buffer zone in Kanyabayonga has already been violated by Rwandan soldiers upon the order of the North Kivu governor, Eugene Serufuli, according to reliable sources' The soldiers were preparing to attack Lubero district in order to gain control of Beni and Butembo' Another attack is being prepared on Bukavu, South Kivu, in the next few days, from the Rwandan towns of Cyangungu and Bugarama. »