U.S. welcomes arrest of Rwandan rebel leader

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it welcomed the recent arrest of Callixte Mbarushimana, a Rwandan rebel leader, by French authorities.

Mbarushimana, a leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), was indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009.

"Mbarushimana's arrest sends an important signal that the international community will not tolerate the FDLR's continuing efforts to destabilize the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," the State Department said in a statement.

The statement said the United States continued to encourage FDLR soldiers to demobilize and return to Rwanda.

The State Department also said the United States supported the ongoing investigations into crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2002.

Source: Xinhua