The Congolese national army has exhibited items recovered from a gun battle on 7 October in North Kivu, claiming they offer "irrefutable proof" that Rwandan Defence Forces are fighting alongside rebel commander Laurent Nkunda. The items include health insurance documents form the Rwandan Ministry of Defence, firearm storage equipment with the official seal of the Rwandan Defence Forces and R4 and AK-47 rifles, which the Congolese army says it does not possess. The Governor of North Kivu appealed to the UN Security Council to acknowledge the participation of Rwanda in the conflict.
The Rwandan army has denied claims that troops have been deployed in eastern DRC. Maj Gill Rutaremara accused the Congolese army of enlisting the support of the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR is composed of fighters blamed for the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, who fled to eastern Congo soon after the genocide.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after a new rebel group attacked the outskirts of Bunia, the capital of the Ituri district and important base for UN peacekeepers on October 10.
There are reports that some militia groups in the Ituri region may be armed by the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army, which may have an interest in the rich mineral deposits in the surrounding area.
IANSA member Charles Nasibu said: "The people of DR Congo know that the solution to this conflict cannot and will not be a military one. As more and more guns flood into DRC, the level of child soldier recruitment and systematic rape of women increases. Solutions must not just be found at the political level, but at the practical level too. The Goma peace agreement in January offers guidelines on disarmament and IANSA urges all parties to implement them immediately."