[An Nahar] Congolese rebels on Saturday warned that they would battle to retake control in the country's troubled east if the government refused to halt its military offensive and begin negotiations.The statement came a day after the M23 rebels -- a group of army mutineers -- announced a retreat from their positions following heavy fighting with the Congolese army which is backed by U.N. troops.
The rebels said their decision for a 'unilateral ceasefire' and withdrawal was aimed at "creating a favorable climate" for a "political solution to the crisis".
However,
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they warned that they were not prepared to wait long for the government to reciprocate.
"We demand that the Congolese government return soon to the negotiating table to find a political solution to the crisis," Bertrand Bisimwa, the political president of the M23 rebels, said in the statement.
"If the Congolese government pushes on with the military option to the detriment to the Kampala (peace) talks, our armed forces reserve the right to retake control" of positions just outside Goma.
Army front man Olivier Hamuli told Agence La Belle France Presse however that the rebels "did not withdraw, they were taken apart".
Both the army and Congolese authorities have confirmed that they have regained control of Kibumba from the rebels, and have pushed the M23 out of the area located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Goma.