Rwanda, Congo OK Border Army to Hunt Rebels

Presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo mended fences today by agreeing on an international force to hunt down rebels in the Congo's chaotic borderlands, Reuters reports. Rwanda's Paul Kagame and the Congo's Joseph Kabila signed the surprising agreement at an African Union summit in Ethiopia. "There was no fighting," joked Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni with reporters.

Tensions increased between Rwanda and the Congo this month when Tutsi-led Congolese rebels routed government forces and forced thousands of people to flee—and Rwanda was accused of supporting the rebels. Rwanda denied any involvement, despite evidence put forth by UN experts. Tensions in the eastern Congo are rooted in old Tutsi-Hutu political and ethnic conflicts and the Rwandan genocide of 1994. (More Rwanda stories.)