Breaking--4,000 Rwandan Soldiers in North Kivu; Area Sealed from Aid Workers

From Agence France Press:

The UN Mission in DR Congo said Wednesday that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops have entered eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since Tuesday as part of a joint military operation.

"By our observations, between 3,500 and 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are currently in Nord-Kivu," province, MONUC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich told AFP.

He said around half the Rwandan force had headed west to the Masisi and Mushaki strongholds of the Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of regional capital Goma.

Meanwhile, BBC reports that Congolese soldiers have sealed off an area where an operation with Rwandan troops is ongoing against the Hutu militia. MONUC's peacekeepers and aid workers have been blocked by Congolese troops at checkpoints north of Goma.