M23 rebels announce 'withdrawal' from DR Congo villages

Rebels from the M23 group on Sunday announced their retreat from villages captured in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week following clashes with government troops in the Rutshuru region.

Fighting between the rebels and soldiers flared up Wednesday after several days of calm and the M23 rebels took control of around a dozen villages in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province, local sources said.

The M23 took the "decision to withdraw, once more, from its newly-won positions... to allow for its concerns to be addressed through open and fruitful dialogue with the government" of DR Congo, the group said.

The M23 "never had the intention to capture areas to run them, our only motivation is the peaceful resolution of the crisis," it added in a statement.

But it was not confirmed by midday Sunday whether the withdrawal from around a dozen villages had taken place.

The M23 also said it intended "to hand over all (soldiers) from the national army captured on the frontline to the International Committee of the Red Cross for proper care".

The M23 was born among former members of a Congolese Tutsi militia that was once supported by Rwanda and Uganda.

The rebels had been incorporated into the Congolese army under a peace deal signed on March 23, 2009.

In 2012, they mutinied, saying the deal had not been upheld and named their group the March 23 (M23) Movement.

Becoming one of the scores of armed groups that roam eastern DR Congo, the M23 briefly seized the city of Goma before being defeated and forced out of the country.

After its defeat, the M23 eventually signed an accord with Kinshasa that included provisions for its fighters to reintegrate into civilian society.

But the group has again accused the government of reneging on the deal and resumed fighting last year.

Their latest offensive began in late March.