DRC army launches new operation
2010-03-05 10:38
Kinshasa - The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo, backed by the United Nations, has launched a new operation against Rwandan Hutu rebels in the east, military and UN officials said on Thursday.
The operation, called Amani Leo (Peace Now, in Swahili), "began on February 26. It is taking place around Kimwa and Kinge in the region south of Kashebere" in Nord-Kivu province, UN mission spokesperson Madnodje Mounoubai told a press conference.
"This is an operation that was jointly planned by Monuc (the UN mission in DR Congo) and the FARDC (Congolese Armed Forces)," Mounoubai said.
FARDC military spokesperson, Captain Sylvain Ekenge, said the army had begun tracking down rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) "since the end of January".
"Monuc made its support conditional" on respect for human rights before joining the 19 FARDC brigades on the ground, Ekenge added.
Atrocities against civilians
Fighting is also taking place in Sud-Kivu province "in the high plateaux of the Uvira region", close to Lake Tanganyika, which forms the DR Congo's border with Burundi, Ekenge said, without giving any casualty figures.
Initially due to end in March, the Amani Leo offensive is the follow-up to Operation Kimia II, which the FARDC waged in Nord- and Sud-Kivu provinces against the FDLR between March and December 2009.
Kimia II, which had UN logistic support, was hotly criticised by human rights groups, other non-governmental organisations and independent experts because it led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians, without succeeding in dismantling the FDLR, estimated at fewer than 6 000 fighters.
The Rwandan rebels, some of whom are believed to have taken part in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, are accused of atrocities against civilians in the east of the DR Congo, as are some units of the regular army.
Separately, Congolese authorities have asked Monuc to start a gradual pullout from the end of June, Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Leroy said on Wednesday.