CONGO - UN base attacked

Congo (AP):

Dozens of rebels attacked a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping base under darkness in eastern Congo early yesterday, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding seven other peacekeepers, an Indian army official said.

Indian army spokesman Virendra Singh said up to 50 rebels attacked a base in Kirumba in North Kivu province around 2 a.m., leading to an exchange of gunfire.

Nearly 4,000 Indian army soldiers are part of the UN Congo peacekeeping mission, which has about 20,000 people from various countries.

Jado Ikosi, a human-rights activist who lives near the Kirumba peacekeeping base, told The Associated Press that gangs entered the base after killing the guard with a spear. Ikosi said locals heard gunshots from 1:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., but the attackers had fled the scene by the time people awoke in the morning.

The attackers left behind shoes that fell off when they were fleeing and signs of blood on the fences surrounding the base, he said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the assault and called on Congo's government "to launch an immediate investigation into this incident and ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.