THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20. 2012
PAGE 3
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Associated Press
AFRICA
Rebels threaten city of Goma
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
People flee as fighting erupts between the M23 rebels and Congolese army near the airport at Goma, Congo on Monday. Rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda fired mortars and machine guns in a village outside the provincial capital of Goma and threatened to attack the city protected by ragtag Congolese government troops backed by United Nations peacekeepers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GOMA, Congo — Rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda fired mortars and machine guns Monday on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Goma, threatening to capture one of the largest cities in eastern Congo in a development that could drag this giant Central African nation back into war.
The gunfire and explosions erupted in the early afternoon, with shells landing as far away as the international airport and near a United Nations position, causing flights to be rerouted and prompting the United Nations to evacuate most of its employees, according to U.N. officials.
The violence erupted just hours after the M23 rebels said they were halting fighting to negotiate with the government of Congo. But government spokesman Lambert Mende told The Associated Press by phone that negotiations are out of the question, saying Congo will not give in to the "blackmail" of a Rwandan-backed group.
"We refuse to enter into negotiations with M23. Because it's Rwanda, not the M23, that is
responsible," said Mende. "If Goma falls, it's going to create a whole other set of problems. We refuse systematically to speak to them (M23). Because if we do, it would be a way to wash away Rwanda's responsibility."
Congo and Rwanda have already fought two wars, the most recent of
which ended in 2003 after lasting nearly six years. On Monday, both nations accused the other of firing mortars across the narrow border which runs on one side of Goma, a city of 1 million which is the economic heart of Congo's mineral rich region.
Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita said that Congolese shells had fallen on the Rwandan side, while Mende said that a mortar fired from Rwanda landed in the Biirer neighborhood near the airport in Goma and wounded at least five people.
Rwandan military spokesman
NORTH AMERICA
Colombian rebel group announces cease-fire
HAVANA — The top negotiator for Colombia's main rebel group announced a unilateral cease-fire on Monday, before heading into much-anticipated peace talks with government counterparts in the Cuban capital of Havana.
Marquez said the move was "aimed at strengthening the climate of understanding necessary for the parties to start a dialogue."
Ivan Marquez said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would stop all military operations and acts of sabotage against government and private property starting at midnight Monday and running through Jan. 20.
There was no immediate response to the rebel overture from the government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and government negotiators in Havana also refused to comment before heading into a convention center where talks are being held.
But analysts said the move puts pressure on Colombia to reciprocate in some way. Santos has so far refused to
consider a cease-fire during the talks.
"What they just announced puts the rebels in the vanguard and is very, very important," said Piedad Cordoba, a former Colombian senator who has led past peace efforts and negotiated the release of several hostages held by the rebels. "The Christmas cease-fire wins (the rebels) credibility and legitimacy."
MIDDLE EAST
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
An Israel air force F-15 Eagle jet fighter plane takes off from Tel Nof air force base for a mission over Gaza Strip in central Israel on Monday.
Israel launches air strike on Gaza Strip
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM — With little notice, Israel has launched a blistering air offensive against the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas militant group. Here's a look at why the violence erupted, the goals of the warring sides and how it may end:
Lightning Strike: Israel opened its offensive with a surprise airstrike on Nov. 14 that killed the shadowy leader of Hamas' military wing. Since then, it has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in what it says is a systematic campaign to halt years of rocket attacks launched from Gaza. While Isaiah claims to have inflicted heavy damage, dozens of rockets have continued to fly out of Gaza each day.
Why Now? Israel launched the operation in response to days of rocket attacks out of Gaza, highlighted by a rare missile strike on an Israeli military jeep that wounded
four soldiers. But the operation was actually years in the making. Since a previous Israeli offensive four years ago, Hamas has restocked its arsenal with more sophisticated and powerful weapons smuggled in from Egypt through underground tunnels. After a lull following Israel's previous offensive, rocket fire has steadily climbed the past two years. The Israeli military says more than 700 rockets were launched into Israel this year before it launched the offensive last week. In this environment, Israeli officials have said it was only a matter of time before a new round of fighting broke out.
The battlefield: Hamas seized control of Gaza, a densely populated strip of land sandwiched between southern Israel and Egypt's Sinai desert, five years ago from the rival Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.