DRC army kills 22 FDLR rebels

RUBAVU- Military officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Goma have said that their army has killed at least 22 FDLR rebels and captured several others. Speaking to The New Times, Congolese military spokesman Col. Leonce Richard Kasongo revealed that the insurgents were killed and captured during the on-going FARDC-MONUC joint operations against the FDLR, a group that is dominated by elements responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “We have in custody an officer at the rank of Captain who surrendered with his 11 men in Kitama near Bunia, the former headquarters of FDRL Special Force,” said Kasongo. Kasongo said that the captured insurgents will soon be handed them over to the UN for repatriation. However, FARDC refused to parade captives to the press saying that they needed to first consult with Kinshasa. He said MONUC, the UN mission in DRC, is helping the operation by providing logistical support like transport, medicine, ammunition, and attack helicopters. The joint operation code named “Kimia II” intensified a few weeks ago is said to be a success but some human rights activists have accused FARDC troops of raping civilians. The allegations were not firmly denied by the spokesman who said that those caught are punished accordingly, giving an example of a soldier who was recently court-marshalled for rape. “FDRL are accusing us of siding with the Rwandan government but they forget that they don’t have any right to carry out operations against our civilians nor do they have a right to carry on their rebel activities on our territory,” said Kasongo. In a recent pact signed between Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC, the three countries agreed on security cooperation whereby no negative force should be based in one country to launch attacks on the other. Rwanda was represented at the meeting in Goma by Defence Minister Gen Marcel Gatsizi and Rwanda Defence Forces Chief of Defence Staff, Gen James Kabarebe. Ends

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DRC army kills 22 FDLR rebels