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                      M23 Rebels in DRC Surrender Weapons

   A rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo began
   surrendering its weapons Wednesday, a day after the group gave up its
   fight.
   Video shot by VOA shows soldiers taking control of artillery and
   ammunition in the Congolese district of Rutshuru as fighters from rebel
   group M23 sit idly by in street clothes.
   A DRC army spokesman in the vicinity, Oliver Hamuli, told reporters the
   government`s fight is just beginning.
   He said Congolese forces plan to go after other armed groups that
   operate on Congolese territory, such as the Rwandan Hutu rebel group
   FDLR.
   On Tuesday, the leader of the M23 movement, Bertrand Bisimwa, said the
   group will demobilize and only pursue its goals through political
   means.
   That announcement came hours after Congolese forces pushed rebel
   fighters from the last two areas in eastern Congo under their control.
   M23 leader Bisimwa had asked for a unilateral cease-fire on Sunday to
   allow stalled peace talks between the two sides to continue, but the
   government rejected his call, saying it would only accept the end of
   M23`s armed rebellion.
   Eastern Congo has endured years of fighting involving the government
   and various rebel groups, usually over control of the area`s rich
   mines.
   M23 consists of fighters who joined the Congolese army in a 2009 peace
   deal, but later defected after complaining of poor treatment. They
   launched their rebellion in April 2012 and seized territory in Congo`s
   North Kivu province
   Congo has accused neighboring Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23 -- an
   allegation both countries deny.
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   784715.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/m23-rebels-in-drc-surrender-weapons/1784715.html