Rebel commander killed during offensive

A senior commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group was killed during a military offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 28 January 2009. Rwandan authorities reported that Lieutenant Colonel Anaclet Hitimana was killed in an ambush set by the joint Rwandan-Congolese military force at Kibuwa in the Masisi region, which is located in North Kivu province. Hitimana was the deputy Brigade Commander of the Reserve Brigade of the FDLR, and his death is expected to be a heavy blow to the rebel group. The joint Rwandan-Congolese military operation began on 20 January in an effort to root out the FDLR, which is believed to be largely responsible for the unrest in the eastern DRC. The FDLR is mostly made up of former Interahamwe members who perpetrated Rwanda's 1994 genocide.