Two Indian soldiers were injured last week when rebels attacked an Indian Army unit, part of United Nations peacekeeping mission, in Democratic Republic of Congo. The troops managed to kill three of the attackers. A brigade(3,000) of Indian Army is deployed there as part of the mission.
Giving details of the incident here on Monday, officials said the Indian Army is deployed there under the UN Stabilisation Mission (MONSUCO) and one of its posts came under attack in lubero in the troubled province of North Kivu on Friday last.
Alert Indian troops repulsed the attack by a group of around 30 armed militia of a Mai Mai group which have been attacking Congolese Army positions in the recent days. Three of the attackers were killed and one wounded and two Indian troopers were also injured. The Army statement issued here also said the Friday attack was a rare frontal assault on UN forces carrying out peace keeping mission to protect civilians.
The lubero region is about 300 km north of Goma, the main town of North Kivu province, where several illegal armed groups reportedly control the rural areas. These armed groups attack the government forces to dominate and exploit mineral resources. Moreover, President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate last December has fuelled unrest in the country's Eastern provinces, officials said.
The Congo mission is the largest and complex under the UN flag in which India is a major troop contributor. At present, India has a total of 2,664 military serving there. Moreover, India is also one of the largest contributors of soldiers to UN peace keeping missions all over the world including Afghanistan, Haiti, lebanon, South Sudan and Sudan. There are more than 7,000 troops now serving in various countries under the UN flag and India has so far lost 163 personnel in these missions including 14 in Congo mission.
Previously, an attack by rebels on an Indian post took place in 2010 in Kirumba in North Kivu province when three Indian soldiers were killed. Officials said the Indian contingent deployed there currently conducts an average of 2,300 patrols per month in the troubled region, apart from ensuring protection of civilians. Another important task of the Indian peacekeepers is to provide assistance in undertaking targeted operations against Illegal armed groups.