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DR Congo rebel leader 'arrested' | DR Congo rebel leader 'arrested' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Gen Laurent Nkunda, the leader of the largest rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has been arrested, the military says. | |
He was arrested as he fled into Rwanda while trying to resist a joint Rwandan-Congolese military operation, the operation's joint command said. | He was arrested as he fled into Rwanda while trying to resist a joint Rwandan-Congolese military operation, the operation's joint command said. |
Some 3,500 Rwandan troops entered DR Congo on Tuesday to help government forces disarm Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels. | Some 3,500 Rwandan troops entered DR Congo on Tuesday to help government forces disarm Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels. |
Gen Nkunda has been leading the rival CNDP Tutsi insurgency. | Gen Nkunda has been leading the rival CNDP Tutsi insurgency. |
He has, says the BBC's Africa analyst, Martin Plaut, been caught in the rapidly changing diplomatic situation in Central Africa. | |
Gen Nkunda had been Rwanda's ally in eastern DR Congo - a Tutsi, he guarded their Western flank against attacks from the Hutu forces who fled there after the Rwandan genocide of 1994. name="top"> name="text"> class="bodl" href="#infographic">See detailed map of the area | |
But in mid-November Rwanda shifted its position, announcing it would work with the Congolese to destroy the Hutu rebels. | |
Gen Nkunda did not back the new alliance and so became an impediment to Rwandan plans in the region, causing Rwanda to turn on him. | |
The decision earlier this month by a group of Gen Nkunda's top commanders to break away and join forces with government troops gave them their opportunity, our correspondent adds. | |
'Good achievement' | |
The rebel leader was detained in Rwanda after troops converged on his stronghold in the Congolese town of Bunagana. | |
"The ex-general Laurent Nkunda was arrested on Thursday 22 January at 2230 hours while he was fleeing on Rwandan territory after he had resisted our troops at Bunagana with three battalions," a Congolese-Rwandan official statement said. Both government and rebel forces have been accused of war crimes Profile: General Laurent NkundaFace-to-face with rebel chiefQ&A: DR Congo conflict | |
Rebels with him were being urged to disarm, reports said. | Rebels with him were being urged to disarm, reports said. |
A spokesman for the Congolese government, Lambert Mende, told the BBC he welcomed the arrest. | A spokesman for the Congolese government, Lambert Mende, told the BBC he welcomed the arrest. |
"I think it is a good achievement for peace and security in this area and this region of Great Lakes," he said. | "I think it is a good achievement for peace and security in this area and this region of Great Lakes," he said. |
Some of Gen Nkunda's forces - perhaps as many as 2,000 - are still said to be loyal to him. | |
The question now is whether they will fight, or whether they will join the new consensus and become integrated into the Congolese army, correspondents say. | |
The CNDP launched a major offensive in August 2007, which displaced more than a quarter of a million people in North Kivu and raised fears of both a humanitarian crisis and a wider regional war. | |
Human rights group have accused CNDP forces, along with those of the government, of numerous killings, rapes and torture. | Human rights group have accused CNDP forces, along with those of the government, of numerous killings, rapes and torture. |
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