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Congo's M23 rebels begin withdrawing from Goma
[Iran Press TV] The March 23 (M23) rebels have begun withdrawing from the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The M23 rebels captured Goma on November 20 after United Nations peacekeepers gave up the battle for the frontier city of one million people.

"We will be withdrawing our forces by tomorrow, but first we need (UN peacekeeping force) MONUSCO to give us access to our weaponry," DPA quoted M23 commander Brigadier General Sultani Makenga as saying on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels withdrew from the town of Sake, located some 30 kilometers west of Goma, the capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province.

During a weekend summit in Uganda, regional heads of state called on the M23 rebels to withdraw from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Monday.

The M23 rebels defected from the Congolese army in April in protest over alleged mistreatment in the military. They had previously been integrated into the Congolese army under a peace deal signed in 2009.

Posted by: Fred 2012-12-01
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=357143