11 Mar 2013

DRC / KITCHANGA FIGHTING

The fighting that began last week in the town of Kitchanga in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s North Kivu Province, is still ongoing. Thousands of the town's inhabitants—mostly women, children, and the elderly—have fled in fear, taking only their few belongings and their cattle. People who are unable to flee are seeking refuge in makeshift camps. MONUSCO

Posted at: March 11, 2013 3:33 pm

Duration: 02:21

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: DRC / KITCHANGA FIGHTING
TRT:  2.21
SOURCE: MONUSCO	
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SWAHILI /FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE:  8 MARCH 2013, KITCHANGA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, aerial view of Kitchanga town
2. Med shot, aerial view of burned houses
3. Med shot, MONUSCO officials walking
4. Various shots, briefing by local official
5. Tracking shot, from a vehicle, burnt houses and FARDC soldiers
6. Various shots, burnt houses
7. Med shot, woman fleeing with baby
8. Med shot, UN peacekeeper assisting two elderly women 
9. Med shot, people standing by with their belongings
10. Med shot, elderly women walking away from camera
11. Med shot, woman with sheep and goat walking at the UN compound
12. Med shot, disabled woman on modified bicycle
13. Med shot, UN peacekeeper standing on guard
14. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Disabled woman"
"They started burning houses and they were shooting everywhere. My mother tried to carry me on her back and we escaped up to here at MONUSCO camp"
16. Wide shot, people around UN compound
17. Wide shot, temporary IDP camp near UN compound
18. Wide shot, people standing by a truck, in the temporary camp
19. Close up, APCLS militia who have surrendered at UN camp
20. SOUNDBITE (French) APCLS militia man:
"We ran out of ammunitions while the enemy was pursuing us, and we surrendered here at the UN camp."
21. Med shot, helicopter landing
22. Various shots, wounded evacuees being carried on stretchers at Goma airport
23. Close up, small boy on a stretcher, being carried
24. Close up, hardware on the floor
25. Wide shot, ambulances
26. SOUNDBITE (French) Axel Queval, Head of Office MONUSCO, North Kivu:
"Whenever there is a problem we need to discuss and negotiate with them and with the government to find a solution. But when you start fighting, burning houses and killing people, and making revenge is not the solution"
27. Med shot, small boy chewing on sugarcane
28. Med shot, UN peacekeeper talking to the population
29. Close shot, woman carrying baby on her shoulders
29. Various shots, camp

STORYLINE:	
	
Following the fighting that erupted in the village of Kitchanga  (27 Febrauray), between a militia group known as "Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo" (APCLS), and the Congolese army (FARDC),  hundreds of people took shelter at a UN peacekeeping base known as "Company Operating Base" or (COB), under the protection of South African peacekeepers.

Dozens of people died and many were wounded in the fighting, including one South African peacekeeper who was shot in the arm. Several houses in the nearby villages, and businesses in Kitchanga town, were also burnt, forcing thousands of people to flee.

Kitchanga is a town located some 80 km north west of Goma, in the territory of Masisi, North Kivu province.

SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Disabled woman:
"They started burning houses and they were shooting everywhere. My mother tried to carry me on her back and we escaped up to here at MONUSCO camp"

Schools in the area were also forced to close.

As the fighting escalated, some 26 militia from the APCLS surrendered to the UN peacekeepers and agreed to be demobilized.

SOUNDBITE (French) APCLS militia man:
"We ran out of ammunitions while the enemy was pursuing us, and we surrendered here at the UN camp"

Several of the wounded civilians, and one South African peacekeeper, were evacuated to Goma, and taken to Level 3 hospital for treatment.

SOUNDBITE (French) Alex Queval, Head of Office MONUSCO, North Kivu
"Whenever there is a problem we need to discuss and negotiate with them and with the government to find a solution. But when you start fighting, burning houses and killing people, and making revenge is not the solution"

The Congolese troops and UN peacekeepers are trying to contain a number of rebels and militias in North Kivu, most notably the M23 group which briefly held the provincial capital of Goma in November.

Fighting between rival M23 factions has also been reported in some parts of North Kivu, and the situation remains tense as the fighting continues.

Filed under 01.03.00 - MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY MONUSCO - United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.