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2009-01-25 Africa Subsaharan
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DR Congo-Rwanda action kills 9 rebels
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Nine Rwandan Hutu rebels have been killed during a joint Congolese-Rwandan military operation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
A joint statement said the Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels were killed in fighting which began on Friday, after the arrest of Congolese Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda.
Rwanda has sent at least 5,000 soldiers into neighboring DR Congo as part of the operation launched Tuesday to track down the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels.
The clashes follow Rwandan forces' arrest late Thursday of Nkunda, the Tutsi leader of a separate rebel group whose soldiers routed government forces and captured parts of eastern DR Congo last year.
His arrest marked a striking turnaround, with Rwanda having previously been accused of supporting Nkunda in his campaign against the Kinshasa government, raising fears of a regional conflict.
Rwanda has in turn accused DR Congo of sheltering the FDLR. That group includes some of the main perpetrators of the 1994 Hutu genocide in Rwanda which saw the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Nkunda's capture and the joint operations have signaled shifting alliances in the conflict-torn east and tighter cooperation between former rivals Rwanda and DR Congo.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame praised the operation late Friday, saying he had "never been more hopeful."
The FDLR have thrived in eastern Congo, where armed groups have effectively been proxies of Rwanda and DR Congo.
A number of them have holed up in Marangara, a small eastern village.
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Posted by Fred 2009-01-25 00:03||
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