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                      DRC Rejects Rebels' Demand for Talks

   by VOA News

   The Democratic Republic of Congo's government has rejected a demand for
   peace talks by the rebel group M23.

   Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Monday that M23 is a "fiction"
   created by neighboring Rwanda to "hide its criminal activities in the
   DRC".

   The M23 fighters have moved to within a few kilometers of Goma, the
   capital of North Kivu province, after pushing back government troops
   and U.N. peacekeepers.

   The rebels Monday demanded the government open peace talks within 24
   hours or see a continuation of fighting around the eastern city.

   The rebels also accused the DRC government of violating a 2009 peace
   deal that integrated rebel fighters into the army.

   Most members of the M23 group are former Congolese soldiers who
   defected earlier this year, demanding better pay and weapons.

   Rwanda has strongly denied accusations from Congo and U.N. monitors
   that it supports M23. Uganda has also denied allegations that it helps
   the group.

   DRC spokesman Mende said Monday that government forces are in complete
   control of Goma and that a rebel attempt to capture the eastern
   Congolese city had failed.

   "Goma is still under full control of the government of the DRC," he
   said. "The governor, local authorities and even the higher command of
   our army - they are all in Goma to defend our country."

   Helicopters from the U.N.'s peacekeeping force in the DRC, known as
   MONUSCO, targeted rebel positions on Saturday.

   Mende said helicopter attacks are within the U.N. mandate to protect
   civilians, adding that a rebel attack on Goma would be a "nightmare."

   "It is the duty of the U.N. force to prevent such a situation and stop
   them entering Goma," said Mende. "Because if they enter there, we will
   lose hundreds of thousands of lives."

   The U.N. Security Council held a closed-door emergency meeting Saturday
   at France's request to discuss the fighting.

   Uganda has said if the United Nations does not withdraw the allegations
   that it is supporting rebels in the DRC, it may remove its soldiers
   from international peacekeeping missions, including the one in Somalia.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/drc-rejects-rebels-demands-for-talks/1548792.html