Congo's M23 rebels surrender to Ugandan military

CBS News ^ | November 7, 2013, 7:32 AM | AP

[Pan_Yan]

KAMPALA, Uganda At least 1,700 Congolese M23 rebels, including the top commander, have surrendered to Ugandan authorities following their defeat by Congolese troops, a Ugandan military official said Thursday.

Gen. Sultani Makenga, M23's military commander, and his fighters were being held by the Ugandan military in Mgahinga, a forested area near the Congo border, the official said. The rebels had been disarmed and were being registered by Ugandan officials, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give this information.

This week the rebels lost control of all the territory they once held following an intensified offensive by Congolese troops who are backed by United Nations forces in eastern Congo.

[Pan_Yan]

Two weeks ago M23 announced a major breakthrough in peace talks. A week ago the Congolese army, backed by the newly minted "UN Peacekeeping Offensive Force" (not to mention the 18,000 other UN soldiers who've made a career of sitting around in DR Congo) started rolling back rebel territory. Today one of the main rebel leaders surrenders in Unganda, putting that country in a sticky situation.

For the record if you can't figure out who the good guys are it's okay. No one can. M23 is not the only, and perhaps not the most dangerous, rebel group in DR Congo. So we can expect western money to keep being funneled through the UN to African armies as part of the everlasting "peacekeeping" process.

[Pan_Yan]

Ping.

[nuconvert]

Thanks for the ping

[Resolute Conservative]

So basically spend 6 months in jail and get out and get re-armed and supplied...

[Pan_Yan]

So basically spend 6 months in jail and get out and get re-armed and supplied...

The leader that surrendered was involved in recapturing Rwanda and ending the genocide in 1994 while the UN stood around and watched. He might just be tired of fighting. I suspect there was some deal in place that hasn't become public because the only claim to fame of the Congo Army was committing mass rape after M23 kicked their butts out of Goma a few years back. Now all of a sudden they are rolling through towns meeting no resistance? Even with the UN providing helicopter and ground support it doesn't make sense.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pan_Yan. I’m glad these brave soldiers have made that part of Africa safe for jihadists.