Congo army halts operations against Rwandan rebels

KINSHASA, Aug 11 (Reuters) Congo has suspended Tutsi-led military operations against Rwandan Hutu rebels in an effort to avoid further exacerbating ethnic tensions in the country's troubled east, a senior army official said today.

At least 165,000 civilians have fled fighting in Congo's North Kivu province since February, when Tutsi-commanded army brigades began operations to drive the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels out of Congo.

Congo's ground forces commander General Gabriel Amisi told journalists in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, the decision to suspend operations was taken after consultation with the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo and foreign diplomats.

''They said we could not carry out mono-ethnic operations: Tutsis against Hutus. That will create genocide. After that, the supreme commander suspended (operations),'' he said. Parts of the press conference were broadcast on UN-sponsored radi.

REUTERS RSA BST2319