The United Nations is withdrawing promised support for an anti-militant operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which was supposed to be jointly carried out with the Congolese military.

The world body's decision came after two Congolese generals linked to human rights violations were picked to lead the operation.

A UN official said on Saturday that relevant Congolese authorities would be served with formal letters “concerning the cessation of support."

The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) had been working with the Congolese army on the plan to drive out the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militants from the east of the DRC.

The top UN envoy to Congo, Martin Kobler, has said the end of the FDLR will be "a turning point which will fundamentally alter the security situation" in the region, where several armed groups have competed for control of vast mineral resources.

Kinshasa, however, missed a deadline to sack the two generals, Bruno Mundevu and Fall Sikabwe, whom, the UN has said, are known to be heavily involved in "massive human rights violations."
The FDLR rebels had been given until January 2 to turn themselves in or face the joint offensive. The group failed to meet the deadline.

The group includes Rwandan Hutus, who are thought to have taken part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of at least 800,000 people, mainly from the Tutsi minority.

Continued UN support

The recent UN decision was limited to the planned operation and did not affect other military campaigns against the many rebel groups that roam the eastern DRC .

The United Nations is pushing for the disarming of dozens of rebel and splinter groups after two decades of conflict in eastern DR Congo, much of it fueled by the lucrative trade in minerals.