DRC Army Commander satisfied with Umoja Wetu

• FDLR dealt more blows • CNDP integration complete GOMA - The Army Chief of Staff of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC), Lt. Gen. Didier Etumba, Friday expressed satisfaction with operation “Umoja Wetu”, the ongoing Rwanda-DRC military offensive against ex-Far/Interahamwe or FDLR in eastern DRC. According to a late Friday press release from the Joint Operations’ Command H.Q. in the North Kivu provincial town of Goma, Gen. Etumba made the remarks after being briefed on “the situation” of operations by Col. Augustin Mamba, the Chief of Staff of the Goma based Joint Operations Centre. “The Army Chief of Staff of FARDC expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the joint operations, the handling of the situation on the ground by the joint operations’ high command and, made some recommendations,” reads a portion of the statement. “The FDLR must be finished with,” Gen. Etumba is reported to have underlined. The group – FDLR, are remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Rwandan genocide against Tutsis who fled leaving behind over a million people dead. They unrelentingly went on killing, raping and pillaging with impunity in neighboring DRC. The current bilateral military arrangement to end their terror was endorsed last December and was recently put in action by both countries. Many successes have since then been reported. A February 6 press release, as usual signed by the overall commanding officer of the operations, DRC’s Lt. Gen. John Numbi Tambo, the Army once again dealt the FDLR more blows in several fronts in North Kivu Province. On February 4-5 on the Rutshuru front, about 70 kilometers north of Goma, the joint forces are reported to have carried out operations against the FDLR in the Nyamurangira Volcano area. Operations continued further north at Kasharu, in the location of Binza, 40 kilometres from Kiwanja town. The statement also mentions that on the Masisi front the joint forces successively took control of Peti and Pinga, locations which were occupied by FDLR rebels who are “now on the run towards Nyabyondo.” In Kikoma sector, and specifically in Kibundi locality, four FDLR elements were killed while five others surrendered. “Elsewhere, FDLR elements continue defecting within their units fighting in sectors south of Masisi, notably Kibua, Busulungi, Kalonge and Mianga,” the statement reads. “This explains the presence of 120 Rwandan refugees, FDLR combatants and their dependants close to our forces and ready for repatriation,” it adds. Meanwhile, the statement also highlights that the integration of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) forces into the national army – the FARDC, has been completed. The integration of CNDP elements into FARDC was completed in the territory of Rutshuru, the statement stresses. It also points out that 16 child soldiers from armed groups were passed on to MONUC’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Reinstallation and Reintegration (DDRRR) Programme. CNDP’s army officially started joining FARDC January 29 in a well attended ceremony at Rumangabo military camp north of Goma, a development which has added energy to the current return to normalcy in the region after long years of unrest. In a related development, top CNDP officials openly announced plans to form a political party last Wednesday. Shortly after their declaration, the leader of CNDP’s political wing, Desire Kamanzi, told this reporter that their intention was to become a political party recognized by the government of DRC. The CNDP top political wing bigwigs stressed that CNDP, formerly a politico-military organization, would now get a new orientation. Ends