UN official: 90 Rwandan rebels killed in DRC by army troops

March 11, 2010

Madnodje Mounouba, a spokesman for the United Nations' mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said yesterday that DRC army troops killed 90 Rwandan Hutu rebels in the eastern part of Congo.

He said that the deaths occurred during a two-week army operation by the DRC army targeting the (FLDR) group, which was conducted with assistance from UN peacekeepers. The spokesman added that 68 rebels also surrendered, and two rebel bases were destroyed.

"In Nord-Kivu, two operations have been completed [at] Kashebere and Mayengara, with the following results: on the FDLR side, 23 killed, 40 surrendered and two bases destroyed," the spokesman said.

The Hutus have been accused of killing hundreds of DRC villagers in the eastern part of the country; last year, DRC and Rwandan troops conducted a short offensive against them.

Eastern DRC has frequently seen violence since the, as the militias believed to have played a part in them moved across the border.