Congo rebel fight 'must continue'

New York, 10 Nov-(ANA)-The UN envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo has urged support for the government in its battle with Rwandan rebels, despite accusations of abuses.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said an army offensive had achieved "reasonable success".

Last week, the UN mission withdrew its support for government army units implicated in killing civilians.

Mr Obasanjo said the seriousness of the humanitarian situation could not be downplayed, but a solution was needed.

Mr Obasanjo told the UN Security Council that "the slide to war that threatened the region last year was effectively reversed".

But he said that while the symptoms had been dealt with, there were "underlying ailments" in eastern DR Congo.

"Without dealing effectively with the underlying issues, peace can neither be durable nor irreversible," he said.

The Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels have been at the heart of years of unrest in the region.

Their leaders fled to the area in 1994 after being accused of taking part in Rwanda's genocide and have since been fighting with the local Tutsi population and government troops. (ANA)

FA/ANA/10 November 2009---