A day after "peacekeeping" troops got into a deadly gun battle with a Congolese militia, a UN official blamed "neighboring countries" for fueling the violence in Congo. The Pakistani "blue helmets" mixed it up with troops of the Nationalist & Integrationist Front (FNI) in the war-torn Ituri region, leaving 50 militiamen dead. The FNI allegedly attacked the UN troops as they were carrying out a local disarmament mission, and are also believed responsible for the ambush last week that left nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers dead. Margaret Carey, deputy director of the UN peacekeeping department's Africa division, said of the militias: "The information that we have is that they are getting arms from neighboring countries and they are supported by elements in neighboring countries..." (VOA, March 3)

While Carey failed to mention any countries by name, it is clear that she was first and foremost refering to Rwanda.