Democratic Republic of Congo Military Says 200 Rebels Have Been Killed Since April

Map of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

DR Congo army says 200 rebels killed since April

Wed Jun 6, 2012 9:22PM GMT
presstv.ir

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have said that more than 200 mutineers have been killed in the eastern DR Congo since fighting started in April.

Congolese Chief of Staff Didier Etumba provided the figures in a report which was presented to a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The report said 40 Congolese troops have also been killed in the battle against the rebels who were entrenched in the mountainous jungle in the east of the country.

It added that 250 rebels and 93 FARDC troops have been injured.

"The serious disorder created by the mutiny of [General Jean] Bosco Ntaganda and his men is about to be fully contained, thanks to the alacrity of the FARDC's intervention," the report stated.

In addition, the report said that 374 rebels, including 25 Rwandan nationals, have also surrendered to the Congolese forces.

Led by Ntaganda, hundreds of former members of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebelled against Kinshasa in April in protest over mistreatment in the FARDC.

The CNDP was a rebel militia group that split from the FARDC. In 2009, a peace treaty was signed by the rebels and the Congolese government, which integrated the CNDP into the FARDC.

Congo has faced numerous problems over the past few decades, such as grinding poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and a war in the east of the country that has dragged on for over a decade and left over 5.5 million people dead.