GOMA - Nine FDLR rebels were killed and rifles seized late last week as the joint Rwanda-DRC military offensive against the rebels intensified in the Eastern part of the DRC.

The development was confirmed yesterday by the Congolese army’s eastern operations Spokesman Capt. Olivier Hamuli during a phone interview.

According to Hamuli, this occurred in Lubero, a region in the DRC, reportedly some 200 miles northeast of the regional capital – Goma.

"Yes, we hit them, but one of our own (Congolese) soldiers was also injured and he is now receiving treatment here in Goma,” he said.

He, however, did not divulge any further details on the fighting.

This comes as some of the same Ex-FAR/Interahamwe elements, now grouped under the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), had earlier started to surrender in the face of the first-time joint offensive to forcefully rout them out of DRC.

The on-going Rwanda-DRC military operation to forcefully disarm and repatriate the Interahamwe came about after several high-level bilateral meetings last year.

The FDLR have for the last 15 years been operating in the DRC from where they committed atrocities against Congolese civilians and also continue to hatch their plans of destabilizing Rwanda.

The operation was endorsed December 5, last year, after a two-day meeting between both countries’ Foreign Affairs Ministers in Goma and later followed by an almost similar meeting by their Defense counterparts in Gisenyi (Rwanda) to chart its implementation.

Capt. Hamuli also dismissed FDLR’s claims that they had not received a severe beating at the hands of the DRC-Rwanda coalition.

This came hours later after an AFP report indicated that the German-based FDLR leader Ignace Murwanashyaka, in an interview, claimed that the RDF(Rwandan army)-FARDC alliance had not engaged and killed his rebels but had fought with another militia group – the Mai Mai.

This allegation, however, was thoroughly refuted by the FARDC spokesman when later queried about the development.
"What do you expect him (Murwanashyaka) to say?,” Capt. Hamuli posed after refuting the claims.

"We cannot prevent him from saying anything he wants. Of course he will say anything, but he is not on the ground,” he stressed.

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