Congo rebel leader captured in Rwanda

KIGALI, Rwanda, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda was arrested by Rwandan authorities Friday, sparking hope for peace in the war-torn central African nation, officials say.

"We think this is a major development in the peace process," Madnodje Mounoubai, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, told CNN.

Mounoubai said the arrest could cause the remaining 1,500 rebel soldiers still loyal to Nkunda to join the government forces, halting most of the eastern Congo fighting.

Congolese forces first tried to capture the Tutsi rebel leader Thursday night near Bunagana, a village in eastern Congo.

Nkunda escaped and fled across the border into Rwanda where he was captured early Friday, said Mende Omalanga, the Congo's minister of communications.