DRC: Rwandan army begins Pullout ahead of deadline

• Gen. Numbi satisfied with joint operations MATEMBE, GOMA – Rwandan troops in Operation Umoja Wetu’s all over eastern DRC started their long homeward march Saturday morning. The New Times witnessed this set in motion at Matembe, about 300 kilometres from the Rwandan border in DRC’s Masisi region where the joint force had earlier captured and destroyed one of the former FDLR strongholds – the 1st division headquarters. An official ceremony to mark the pullout by the Rwandan troops will be held in Goma on Wednesday. The overall Commander the joint FARDC-RDF operations, DRC’s Lt. Gen. John Numbi also acknowledged this to The New Times in Goma yesterday saying that the operation was a “big success.” “We made the joint plan together – DRC and Rwanda, on how to deal with the FDLR issues and we are supposed to respect the deadline which was given by the two presidents,” Gen. Numbi revealed. “Now we are at the end of our mission , that is why you see our brothers – the RDF, doing this movement today to go back to their country. And the operation has been very successful because, now all FDLR headquarters are destroyed,” he said.Gen. Numbi pointed out that FDLR had “four big headquarters,” which have all been destroyed. “And now, we are on a mission to clean everywhere they are going in the DRC. That is the situation now.” Numbi underlined that efforts would now be concentrated to ensure security for the Congolese population. “We will try to do it together with MONUC if they can come to join us to provide security for the population.” Queried about the worry and concerns over FDLR reprisals by the Congolese population where the RDF contingent is withdrawing from, Numbi stressed that things have changed. “You know, before this operation, they (FDLR) used to have confidence in the population, the village chiefs, and with some armed groups. But today, all armed groups – CNDP, Pareco and others, all of them are now integrated in the FARDC and all village chiefs and the population have one mission – to tell us where the FDLR are,” he said. “Nobody can allow the FDLR to have even a small piece of land where they can do agriculture,” he noted. “The situation is not the same as last time, now, FDLR is not allowed to do any activity in our country. All of them must go back,” Gen. Numbi underlined, further stressing that all would be done to “give the population full protection. Ends