Rwanda Says Its Soldiers In Congo Led By Kinshasa

`All forces are under FARDC (Congolese army) command,` Rwandan Information Minister Louise Mushikiwabo told Reuters by text message.

Rwandan soldiers who crossed into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday for a campaign against Hutu rebels are operating under Congolese command, the Rwandan government said on Tuesday.

"All forces are under FARDC (Congolese army) command," Rwandan Information Minister Louise Mushikiwabo told Reuters by text message. "This is a result of recent intense and sincere efforts -- diplomatic, military and other -- by various stakeholders, to bring peace and stability to the region."

Diplomats and United Nations peacekeepers said earlier on Tuesday that up to 2,000 Rwandan troops had crossed into eastern Congo under a December agreement between the two countries.

The Rwandan Hutu rebels they are targeting have been at the centre of 15 years of violence in Africa's Great Lakes region.