KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, April 28 (UPI) -- The United Nations said growing numbers of Rwandan militiamen are abandoning rebel activity in the volatile east of the Congo.
The U.N. mission in the Congo, known as MONUC, reports that more than 140 militiamen a month are leaving ongoing rebel activities in the east of the country, marking a four-fold increase compared with 2008, the United Nations reported.
MONUC officials said more than 660 former militiamen are taking part in a voluntary disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration and rehabilitation, returning to civilian life and being processed for repatriation to Rwanda.
According to a news release, the disarmament program is a critical step in bringing stability to an eastern Congo province "where over 100,000 civilians have been uprooted by fighting in the past two months, in addition to the many hundreds of thousands previously displaced."
