UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The U.N. Mission in the Congo has just deployed an additional brigade to North Kivu province to brace against a threatened attack from Rwanda.
Chief spokesman Fred Eckhard said at U.N. World Headquarterrs in New York Wednesday it will give additional security to the region, reminding the mandate of the mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, includes preventing the Democratic Republic of the Congo peace process from being derailed by spoilers from within and outside the DRC.
MONUC chief William Swing in Kinshasa voiced concern Rwanda's threat to attack rebels in Congo could undermine the credibility of efforts to stabilize the Congo, which is the size of Western Europe.
"Rwanda must respect international law and the authority of the Security Council, which is still present in the region," MONUC said, referring to the Security Council's mission to Central Africa, which had talks in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, with President Paul Kagame just last Sunday.
Rwanda became involved in Congo's civil war after Hutu extremist militias blamed for the 1994 Rwandan genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus took refuge across the border in Congo.
