Kigali — The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUC, has revealed that more than 500 FDLR rebels have been killed or captured since the beginning of the ongoing joint DRC-MONUC offensive, Kimia II.

The operation that has been centered in North and South Kivu provinces commenced in March. According to MONUC figures of between March and June show that up to 366 rebels were killed while 74 were captured in North Kivu. In South Kivu the figures reveal that 9 were killed while 65 were captured before the beginning of the current offensive.

MONUC's military spokesman Lt. Col Jean-Paul Dietrich said that since the beginning of July, 27 FDLR rebels have been killed while five were captured while four surrendered. Dietrich also revealed that as of last week, MONUC's Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Reinstallation and Reintegration (DDRRR) programme had received 41 ex-combatants.

However despite the military pressure, FDLR has continued to wreck havoc in eastern DRC. In South Kivu last Saturday, the insurgents are said to have opened rocket fire on FARDC post at Sange as well as a FARDC border post at Nyakabere, another location just 10km northeast of Sange.

Dietrich notes that on Sunday, two FDLR cadres (from Kigomo Platoon of 1 FDLR Bn) surrendered, with oneAK-47 rifle and ammunition at a MONUC base in Sange.

In earlier news briefings, Dietrich noted that in North Kivu, the number of clashes between the FDLR and FARDC decreased slightly last week and Congolese troops were deployed in several areas to reinforce existing units.