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                         Congo Rebels Set to Leave Goma

   by VOA News

   Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were set to withdraw from
   the eastern city of Goma on Friday, but there were no immediate signs
   of a large-scale pullout.
   The M23 rebel group have said they will pull back to a position 20
   kilometers outside the strategic provincial capital, but will leave
   about 100 soldiers at the city's airport.
   The rebel group, which seized control of Goma last week after fighting
   with the Congolese army and U.N. peacekeepers, has already broken its
   promise to leave the city by Thursday under a regionally brokered deal.
   ''The group has begun leaving other areas of the eastern DRC. But VOA
   correspondent Gabe Joselow says many of the rebels looted homes in the
   town of Sake as they left that area on Wednesday and Thursday. The
   United Nations mission in Congo says they have confirmed human rights
   violations in Goma.
   On Wednesday, the Democratic Republic of Congo government accused rebel
   group M23 of killing 64 people in the city and wounding more than 220
   civilians. In a statement Thursday, the M23 denies the killings.
   In an interview with VOA, U.N. mission spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai did
   not mention casualties but said some accusations of human rights abuses
   in Goma were found to be true.
   "So far, we have received over 50 alleged human rights violations," he
   said. "We are investigating them. About 25, let's say half of those,
   are already confirmed, but [the] investigation is still going on."
   The spokesman did not identify the violations or blame them on any
   group.
   M23 consists of former rebels who were integrated into the Congolese
   army but deserted early this year, complaining of discrimination and
   poor treatment.
   The Congolese government has tried for years with little success to
   pacify the east, where armed groups compete for control of the region's
   mineral wealth.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/congo-rebels-set-to-leave-goma-friday/1555855.html