M23 rebels have left the Rumangabo army base as a sign of its commitment to peace with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The rebel handed over the base to the east African regional forces, after nearly two months in control of the area, which fell to the rebels in November last year.
Rumangabo base in located in the Rutshuru territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with headquarters is the town of Rutshuru.
The handing over of the base was ushered with a brief ceremony, which was held at the facility.
M23 rebel representative said the gesture of the handing over represents the group’s commitment to peace in the region.
The pull out of the rebels could be part of the outcome of a peace summit held in the Angolan capital last November.
In the summit the rebels were ordered to vacate all Congolese territory under their occupation.
The rebels withdrew from another strategic town of Kibumba Province du Nord-Kivu in December, but the government, unconvinced of the withdrawal, called it a sham, whilst they went on capturing more territory.
The rift between the DRC and Rwanda has heightened in the last years due to the resurgence of the M23 attacks, which Kinshasa solely blame on its smaller central African neighbour, for arming the rebels.
The international community has since collaborated the position of DRC and have asked Rwanda to stop arming the rebels and allow peace to return to the region, an accusation Kigali has publicly refuted. Rather, Paul Kagame has said the Congolese government have been colluding with the FDLR – to execute a Rwandan Hutu extremist agenda.
The Hutu ethnic group were involved in carrying out the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda.
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