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KINSHASA, Sept 26 (AFP) - More than 800 former Rwandan army troops and members of the Hutu Interhamwe militia held responsible for much of Rwanda's genocide have surrendered to military authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it was officially announced in Kinshasa Friday.
The former Rwandan government troops and Interhamwe militia fought alongside Zairean government forces while the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo led by Laurent-Desire Kabila (AFDL) seized power in Kinshasa in May.
They were also involved in recent clashes in the North and South Kivu regions of eastern Zaire between AFDL elements backed by Rwandan troops and the Mai-Mai militia.
Democratic Republic of Congo government spokesman Raphael Ghenda said the 800 were being held in the village of Rumangabo, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the North Kivu capital Goma, and that there were no plans to repatriate them to Rwanda.
"These soldiers and militia came out of the bush and surrendered to military authorities and laid down their arms," he told AFP after a cabinet meeting chaired by President Kabila.
In Kigali, meanwhile, a delegation of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees arrived in the Rwandan capital to assess the situation of repatriated Rwandan refugees, given fears for their safety in their home country.
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