From Yahoo!

Democratic Republic of Congo’s government said  it was ready to launch military operations against Rwandan Hutu rebels in its east after most missed a deadline to disarm and return home or go into exile.

A six-month ultimatum set by regional leaders expires at midnight and just 300 of the estimated 1,5000 rebels have disarmed, according to Congo’s government.

The fighters, known as the FDLR, include some of the remnants of the Hutu militia that took part in the 1994 genocide and have been at the heart of two decades of violence in Congo’s mineral-rich east since then.

“The option of disarming (the rebels) by force is now inevitable and all the preparations to do so have been made,” the government said in a statement read on state television.

The statement did not give any further details but the rebels operate in North and South Kivu provinces, which lie on Congo’s border with Rwanda and Burundi.

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