Rebel Faction Leaders Claim Nkunda ‘ouster’

A faction of Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda’s Tutsi rebels say they have deposed the renegade former army general from the leadership of the National Council for the Defense of the People (CNDP). Led by rebel Chief of staff Bosco Ntaganda, the high-ranking commanders said on Thursday that they had “dismissed” Nkunda for mismanaging the movement. Nkunda's spokesman, Bertrand Bisimwa, however dismissed the ouster, describing it as an act of deception and indiscipline that would not go unpunished. The feud could cause a split in the CNDP, which is currently holding talks with the Congolese government after their violent onslaught displaced over 250,000 people in Eastern Congo since August last year.[PE]