Fears of violence in DRC
2005-09-06 14:01
Nairobi - Rwandan Hutu insurgents operating in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have accused Kigali of plotting a massive offensive in the volatile region.
In a statement received by AFP on Tuesday, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) said Kigali was preparing an attack stronger than any before in the restive region.
"The Rwandan authorities are preparing to launch a massive offensive in eastern DRC which will be by far deadlier than the previous attacks," the statement said.
The FDLR said Rwanda had deployed a brigade of fighters in Kivuye, Nyange and Kinyana in DRC's North Kivu province and they were only waiting for Kigali's nod to launch the attack.
Preparations completed
"According to sources in the Kigali regime, Rwandan military authorities have completed the preparations for this war by infiltrating soldiers into the DRC," added the statement.
Rwanda has in the past accused the insurgents, who have been hiding the dense forests in eastern DRC for the past 11 years, of taking part in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when 800 000 people were massacred.
The international community has also accused the insurgents of stoking instability in the powderkeg eastern DRC.
However, Rwanda, which took part in a 1998 to 2003 DRC war that drew in the armies of half a dozen other countries, is also suspected of abetting several mutinies that have rocked DRC's national army in the recent times.
Kigali pulled out its troops from eastern DRC in 2002.