Rebel chief Laurent Nkunda spoke in favour of a ceasefire between his troops and the Congolese army on Oct. 10, 2007, three days after he officially broke a truce inaugurated in September under strong UN pressure. The government gave his forces a deadline of Oct. 15 to lay down their arms.

Special report on the conflict in Nord-Kivu

Q: Who supports Laurent Nkunda?
(Question from Adonis Phuati, 12/10/07)

A: Laurent Nkunda is a Congolese Tutsi from Nord-Kivu.  As with many of his community, he joined the ranks of the Rwandan Patriotic Front in the early 90s. He marched on Kigali alongside General Major Paul Kagame, who has since become president of Rwanda.  Nkunda later played an important role in the Congolese rebel movement supported by Rwanda.  But he stays outside of peace talks.  

Today, Rwandan deserters are quitting Nkunda’s ranks to join the MONUC.  He and his men are very well armed.  We can assume that they’re provisioned by Rwanda, where he has very prominently placed contacts.  This being said, Rwanda and the RDC recently reiterated their agreement not to support militant groups aimed at each other.  Since then there is no proof that Nkunda has Rwandan military backing.
(Answer from France 24 Correspondent Arnaud Zajtman, 16/10/07)