200811112271 | Hutu rebels deny fighting in DRC

Hutu rebels deny fighting in DRC

Kinshasa - Rwandan Hutu rebels on Monday denied UN allegations of involvement in weekend fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. "The Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) categorically reject the statements made by a MONUC spokesperson according to which they could have participated in the ongoing fighting in North Kivu in eastern DRC," the FDLR said in a statement.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said the Hutu rebel movement was "manifestly" involved in fighting around Ngungu in Nord-Kivu province.

MONUC said the Rwandan rebels were fighting alonside pro-government Mai-Mai militia at Ngungu, around 60km west of the regional capital Goma.

"The FDLR wonder about the motives of some officers of MONUC who accuse them of being involved in the conflict after the Nairobi Summit," said the statement, which urged MONUC "to address fully its mission and provide evidence of its allegations and refrain from making unfounded charges".

It said the FDLR remains committed to peace and called on the international community "to put pressure on the Rwandan government in order to initiate immediate direct talks with its opposition to peacefully resolve the political problem of Rwanda".

The FDLR operates in eastern DR Congo near the border with Rwanda, after being ousted by Tutsi forces in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

A crisis summit on eastern DR Congo held in Nairobi last week called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors amid fresh fighting on the ground and a warning by UN chief Ban Ki-moon that the conflict could spread.