DR of Congo: Main rebel forces begin pulling out from North Kivu town

One of the largest rebel factions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today began pulling its troops out of a small town in the province of North Kivu, the sight of recent flare-ups between rival armed clans, according to the United Nations mission in the country.

The UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said yesterday that the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma) began disengaging its troops from Lubero in the North Kivu province early Tuesday morning.

This 15 km-disengagement from the town is in line with the agreement signed in mid-June between the Congolese Government, RCD-Goma and the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Kisangani/Liberation Movement (RCD-K/ML). Late last month, two MONUC military observers were abducted in this volatile region, held for five days, and subsequently released unharmed.

Meanwhile, MONUC also reports that security conditions are improving in Bunia and the population has begun gradually returning to the strife-torn town. The UN World Food Program (WFP) has provided 600 tons of food and non-food items to assist the populations in dire need in Bunia.

In other news, Namanga Ngongi, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative, has ended his nearly two year mandate as head of the UN Mission. His successor, William Swing, is due to arrive in Kinshasa tomorrow.