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Rwandan Hutus Denounce 1994 Genocide, Halt Armed Struggle


Rwanda's main Hutu rebel group has announced an end to its armed struggle against the government and denounced the 1994 genocide.

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, FDLR, said they are turning their movement into a political one.

The Hutu group includes members of the Interahamwe militia, blamed for the 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

The announcement came after several days of talks in Rome with Congolese government representatives organized by the Sant' Egidio religious community, a Catholic group that mediates world conflicts.

The Hutu rebels also pledged to work against all forms of ethnic hatred.

Chased into neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo after the genocide, Hutu rebels have caused continuing instability in the region, prompting the current Rwandan government to twice invade Congo.

Some information for this story provided by AFP and Reuters.

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