Rebels encouraged to hand over weapons

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The United Nations is calling on militiamen from the rebel Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda to end the ongoing violence and join a repatriation program.

The U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUC, has been working to halt the ongoing violence in the east of the country. On Monday Bruno Donat, MONUC demobilization, repatriation, reintegration and rehabilitation program head, called on Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda militiamen and other ethnic Rwandan Hutu rebels to peacefully turn over their weapons and end the fighting, the United Nations reported.

Donat said the United Nations has put more resources into the DDRRR program in a move to encourage more rebels to end their participation in violent conflicts in the east of DR Congo.

"Combatants must know that the doors of all MONUC bases are wide open to them and their dependents," Donat said in a statement.

"They should also know that we have strengthened our DDRRR team's presence on the ground to accommodate them."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/02/03/Rebels_encouraged_to_hand_over_weapons/UPI-42171233703397/.