KINSHASA, 7 February (IRIN) - Thousands of people displaced by fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo's
northeastern province of North Kivu have started returning home, humanitarian officials said. Andrew Zadel, the communications officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Goma, the main town in the province, said those returning had sought refuge southwest of Rutshuru territory and in villages to the west of Rutshuru. The villagers are
returning as dissident general Laurent Nkunda's fighters are being reintegrated into the national army, following talks between his rebel movement and the government. Nkunda has led a rebellion in
North Kivu since 2004, against what he perceives as the persecution of members of his ethnic community, who are originally from Rwanda. Two of Nkunda's brigades, the 81st and 83rd, are being
integrated into the national army, while three integrated battalions have been redeployed. At least 1,700 people have returned to the villages of Luke and Murambi, 36km southwest of the territory of
Masisi, the scene of fighting on 20 January. "Perhaps the process of reintegration into the army has had a positive effect on the situation of the displaced because they now have enormous confidence
to return to their villages," Zadel said. Meanwhile, the security situation in North Kivu remains precarious due to fresh fighting on Monday between the newly reintegrated brigades and rebels of the
Forces démocratiques pour la libération du Rwanda, who have been in the region since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, according to humanitarian agents. The fighting flared up again on
Tuesday, according to the UN-supported Radio Okapi. "The displaced have shown enormous confidence by returning to their homes, but we are waiting to see what will happen with the new skirmishes,"
Zadel said. Most villagers had already fled several times after several battles in the area. After the fighting on 27 December 2006, at least 11,855 people fled Runyoni and Jombe villages in
Bunagana, on the border with Uganda, when Nkunda's men attacked regular army positions. Another 21,450 left their villages in Rubare, Kalengera and Rutshuru centres after fighting broke out at the end
of November 2006. ei/aw/js/mw Also see: DRC: Civilians caught up in fighting between dissident troops [ http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57196 and SelectRegion=Great_Lakes and
SelectCountry=DRC ]
