U.N. Peacekeepers battle rebels after Congo attack
* Rwandan Hutu rebels attack U.N. Congo base
* Pakistani soldier wounded in heavy firing
By Thomas Hubert
KINSHASA, July 13 (Reuters) - Rwandan Hutu rebels attacked a United Nations peacekeepers' base in eastern Congo on Monday, wounding one Pakistani soldier, the U.N. said.
The attack by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) was repulsed after exchanges of heavy weapon and machine-gunfire. It was likely to be linked to the U.N. mission's attempts to intervene over the weekend when the rebels attacked civilians near the town of Mwenga, in South Kivu province, a U.N. military spokesman said.
Democratic Republic of Congo hosts the U.N.'s largest peacekeeping mission but the 17,000 soldiers are stretched thin across the vast nation and are accused by civilians and rights groups of not doing enough to protect Congolese from various armed groups.
"Our base in Mwenga came under intense fire from small arms, rocket launchers and machine guns by FDLR elements from south and southeastern directions," U.N. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich said.
U.N. troops fought back with mortar and machine-gun fire, he said. One U.N. soldier was wounded in the arm by rebel fire.
Dietrich gave no details on rebel casualties.
The peacekeepers are supporting Congo's army in operations against the Hutu rebels, who have been at the heart of years of violence in Congo's east since entering the country after some of them took part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Having fought two wars during the last 15 years, Rwanda and Congo co-operated earlier this year to try to force the rebels to disarm. The U.N. has stepped in to support Congo's army since the withdrawal of Rwanda's soldiers.
After some initial gains, the joint mission has failed to dislodge the rebels, who still attack civilians and control numerous mines in the east, drawing criticism that the U.N. and the government are not doing enough to protect civilians.
Over the last two days, Dietrich said peacekeepers from the base in Mwenga had been pursuing FLDR rebels reported to have attacked civilians nearby.
"It is highly possible that there is a link. I believe so," he said on Monday's attack. (Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
