UNITED NATIONS, June 23 -- Heavy fighting between Hutu and Tutsi factions continued in the Rwandan capital of Kigali as the United Nations strived to form the 5,500-strong peace force to be sent to that country, a U.N. spokesman said Thursday.
The U.N. peace force is separate from the military expedition being carried out by France even though both have at least one common goal -- to bring humanitarian aid to Rwandan war victims.
Spokesman Fred Eckhard said there has been 'no significant change' in the situation in Kigali as troops battled for control of the war-torn capital where less than 500 U.N. troops have dug in, waiting for the arrival of larger U.N. contingents.
Eckhard said Canada has promised to send communication units totaling 350 fully equipped personnel to help the U.N. Assistance Mission in Rwanda, or UNAMIR.
Tunisia said it will contribute a battalion of 600 soldiers and Egypt will send another 50 to join the 10 Egyptian military observers already in UNAMIR, Eckhard said.
'We have received offers totalling 5,100 men,' Eckhard said. 'It's a matter of getting those units equipped.'
Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria are the other countries that have announced troops contribution. Eckhard said only the Ethiopian battalion is fully equipped, the others are partially or not at all equipped.
The acute lack of logistics and equipment for those promised troops has delayed their deployment for up to three months.
The UNAMIR troops now in Kigali are the remains of the original force of 2,500, which were withdrawn in May after war broke out between Hutu and Tutsi tribes after the Rwandan president, a Hutu, was killed in a suspicious plane crash April 6.
The fighting has killed between 250,000 and 500,000 Rwandans. Tens of thousands of others have taken refuge in neighboring countries.
The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday approved a request by Paris to send 2,500 French troops immediately to Rwanda on a humanitarian mission, but not under U.N. command. Many governments objected to the move.
Eckhard said at least one potential troop-contributing country, which he did not name, might reconsider its promise to send troops to UNAMIR to protest the French move.NEWLN: (written by JT Nguyen at the United Nations)
