Tutsi rebels have withdrawn from a strategic town in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) , the UN peacekeeping mission in the vast central African country confirmed on Wednesday.
The rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) began the pullback late Tuesday from Kanyabayonga at the order of its leader Laurent Nkunda, according to the UN mission known as MONUC.
Reports said on Tuesday that Nkunda had vowed to leave the town to allow UN peacekeepers and aid envoys to come in, apparently in a move to make good of his pledge to UN special envoy Olusegun Obasanjo.
Kanyabayonga, where converge main roads of North Kivu province, became a key battleground between the government forces and the CNDP in the past few days.
Charles Kasereka, interior minister of North Kivu, told reporters on Monday the FARDC (government forces) took control of Kanyabayonga after one day of fighting with the CNDP. The claim was against reports saying the army quickly succumbed to the rebeladvance.
MONUC officials also reported the CNDP withdrawal from Rwindi, another frontline where Nkunda's men also claimed the upper hand. Obasanjo, who met with Nkunda in North Kivu on Sunday, said Nkundahad pledged to respect the ceasefire and maintain humanitarian corridors in the CNDP-held areas.
The rebel leader unilaterally called a ceasefire on Oct. 29 at the gate of Goma amid international calls for a halt of violence. But the fragile truce soon collapsed with the rival sides exchanging accusations, blaming each other for renewed fighting.
The clash was the latest one since the rival sides resumed hostilities in August after signing a UN-brokered deal in January.
The recent conflict has displaced 250,000 people and threatened the stability of the Great Lakes region in Africa.
UN officials have said that the UN Security Council hopes to vote this week on a resolution that would boost the MONUC from the current 17,000 troops to nearly 20,000 to help avert a repeat of the 1998-2003 war.
Source:Xinhua
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