Living dangerously in eastern DRC

I recently met a young man about twenty five- years-old and was walking with a slight limp. When he was told I was a journalist, he pushed closer and told me a disturbing and chilling story. “I was 21- years-old when I was kidnapped by militias in marauding in Democratic Republic of Congo while on my way to Goma. I was tortured badly,” says Patrick Murenzi. He was locked up for three years. The young man was suspected that he was working with rebel leader, Laurent Nkunda. Born in Uganda and now living in Burundi, Murenzi said he saw many people being tortured. He sounds convincing and innocent. He bears scars all over his body. And he is like many millions of other innocent people who suffer as the war intensifies. This week, clashes reportedly erupted between fighters loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda and the army in the eastern DRC. According to UN, both sides have blamed each other for starting the fighting, which lasted several hours. The UN mission told the BBC that 18 rebels had been admitted to hospital, while AFP news agency said 50 government soldiers were also receiving treatment. It is the heaviest fighting in the east since a January peace deal. The civilian casualties must be high too. Earlier this month, US and European Union diplomats warned that the situation in eastern Congo was becoming increasingly tense and that all sides were re-arming. Human rights groups had said that tens of thousands of people were fleeing as the situation in the area deteriorated. The warring parties appear to be determined to carry on the fight and not ready to put down their arms. This is very worrying. The UN mission spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Paul Dietrich told the BBC this week that the government and the rebels had claimed the other side had started it all. At the end of January, a peace deal was signed in Goma between the government and a variety of groups. It was supposed to have seen the disarmament of groups and their integration into the army. If this deal is not respected, the fighting will always affect other neighboring countries including Rwanda. Contact: Ssuuna2000@yahoo.co.uk