During the takeover, General Dieudonne Kayembe the head of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army said that fifty rebels loyal to General Laurent Nkunda were killed for the loss of four of his own men.
The United States, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda pledged to strengthen the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army at a regional conference in Ethiopia. They pledged not to harbor any “negative” forces.
The term negative forces, refers to both the General Laurent Nkunda leading the rebel forces in Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwandan Hutu rebels in the eastern part. Rwanda has been accused of backing General Nkunda. They have denied the claims.
General Nkunda said that his forces cannot disarm while the Rwandan Hutu rebels are still around. Rwanda has invaded the country twice to stop them.
According to the United Nations, the fighting in the eastern part has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.