DRC hampered by outside aggression

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- National development is "hypothetical" in the Democratic Republic of Congo when faced with threats from external aggression, the president said.

Fighting between rebels with the March 23 Movement and government forces, backed by U.N. peacekeepers, has displaced more than 100,000 people in the DRC. Rwanda was accused of backing some of the rebel forces fighting in eastern DRC, an allegation the government denies.

Madnodje Mounoubai, spokesman for the U.S. Stabilization Mission in DRC, said last week at least 80,000 people have been forced to flee because of a new outbreak of violence in the country's eastern provinces from rival rebel elements.

DRC President Joseph Kabila told delegates at the 68th session of the U.N. General Assembly his country's development was threatened because of the national security situation.

"Development is simply hypothetical ... when peace is breached because of external aggression," he said in his comments translated from French.

Rwanda has said allegations of supporting M23 were misguided, noting many of the problems in DRC require political, not military, solutions.

Kabila said Wednesday, however, his country had opened its borders to Rwandans only to have parts of its country "crushed under bombs" during rebel conflict.