Hundreds of former rebels who had joined government forces under a peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo have deserted and looted eastern towns, the UN mission and witnesses said Tuesday.
A former rebel commander known as Jaguar, who was heading an army battalion in the rank of colonel, provoked the desertion late Friday in Nyamilima, Nord-Kivu province, said UN spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich.
"He disarmed loyal soldiers and went into a hill with his men" near the border with Uganda, said Dietrich, the spokesman of the United Nations' mission in Congo (MONUC).
The soldiers loyal to the government headed to Ishasha, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Nyamilima.
Dietrich said the failure to pay soldiers their salaries for five months, pay inequalities and the distribution of ranks were at the root of the desertion.
Colonel Smith Gihanga, a Congolese military commander in the region, downplayed the incident as "a little problem of lack of discipline."
"Jaguar is still in the ranks of the FARDC," he said, referring to the Congolese army.
Jaguar's men attacked and looted the village of Kitcharo, 10 kilometers from Nyamilima, on Saturday, said residents who spoke to AFP by telephone.
The group attacked Nyamilima on Sunday, wounding people and stealing goods from stores, said residents who requested anonymity.
MONUC has deployed patrols in the region and is seeking to mediate the problem with the help of religious leaders.
"MONUC was able to facilitate on Monday dialogue between Jaguar and the head of his brigade, and they are said to have found an amicable solution," Dietrich said.
The rebel group CNDP, led by Laurent Nkunda, was integrated into the army at the beginning of the year. Nkunda was arrested by Rwanda.
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