BUNIA, 27 February 2008 (IRIN) - Fighting between government troops and militias in the Ituri district of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has displaced more than 1,000 people in the past two days, local authorities said.

The displaced have arrived in Komanda, 70km south of the town of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, after fleeing fighting that erupted on 25 February at Hero locality, about 100km south of Bunia.

A spokesman for the Forces armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) said the army was engaged in an operation against the Front de résistance patriotiques en Ituri (FRPI) militia.

"The militia attacked our reconnaissance company, which was on patrol in Hero. We lost three soldiers, including a captain, in the attack. They died because they were left alone to fight the enemy after the others were ordered to retreat because they were outnumbered," said Captain Charles Boyeka, FARDC spokesman in Ituri.

People began to flee when they saw FARDC soldiers withdraw, he added.

"During their [FRPI] retreat they burned a vehicle. This prompted the entire population that had returned to Mandibe [85km south of Bunia], to move back to Komanda," said one anonymous witness, who spoke to IRIN in Komanda.

The militias retreated deep into the forest when the army sent reinforcements to combat them.

The FRPI was headed by Germain Katanga, also known as "Simba", who was transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in October 2007 to face war crimes charges related to atrocities against civilians in Ituri between January 2002 and December 2003, when more than 8,000 people died and half a million people were displaced from their homes.

The area south of Bunia has been insecure since 16 January 2008, when FRPI fighters first attacked FARDC soldiers in Kamachi, 75km south of the town.

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