Kinshasa: A joint military operation has weakened Rwandan FDLR rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but so far failed to eliminate the threat of future attacks, various diplomats told the French news agency AFP.

In a surprise move, Congolese and Rwandan troops joined forces January 20 in the volatile Nord-Kivu region to drive out members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and repatriate civilians displaced by fighting.

Some 6,500 FDLR rebels have staked out positions in DR Congo since fleeing to the region following the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which some of them participated.

Originally set to last two weeks, the operation has been extended until the end of February, though sources said it is likely to extend beyond that date.

The operation's biggest triumph so far has arguably been the January 22 capture of Laurent Nkunda, who headed the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). Some of its members have now petitioned US government over the arrest calling it "illegal".

At the end of 2008, the renegade general had dealt a crushing defeat to the Congolese army, before most of his commanders withdrew their support for him.

While the joint chiefs-of-staff, based in the Nord-Kivu capital of Goma, have not yet released any exhaustive reports or tolls, they said they are positive the operation is achieving what it set out to accomplish.

"The objective is nearly reached," according to a statement from Kigali that said troops have destroyed the "main FDLR bases".

According to one UN source, however, it is not time to celebrate victory yet, when the operation is a "partial success."

"The FDLR were weakened, and the state's authority is being reestablished in Nord-Kivu," the source told AFP.

Although more than 600 rebels have turned themselves in, their forces still have a "significant" capacity to inflict harm in the region, according to a Western diplomatic source.

"They have dispersed themselves and taken to the woods," said another diplomat.

Civilians had been left to take the brunt of rebel reprisal attacks, according to Human Rights Watch, which said that at least 100 people were "massacred" by FDLR forces between January 20 and February 8.

To protect civilians, the UN's DR Congo mission -- known by the French acronym MONUC -- decided to send peacekeepers to "sensitive zones" in Nord-Kivu, where both UN and diplomatic sources said they know nothing about a Kigali-Kinshasa withdrawal.

While Kinshasa has said the Rwandan army will withdraw by the end of this month, a UN official said it only announced this to calm the public, still traumatised after Rwandan invasions in 1996 and 1998, AFP reported.

The Rwandan army, however, has not excluded the possibility of extending its operation and said that for logistical reasons its troops will not have left by the end of February, several sources said.

Once Rwandan troops do leave, DR Congo's forces -- left with the formidable task of maintaining order in the war-torn region -- will be over-stretched, according to another diplomatic source.

The Congolese army "will have to hold the positions taken from FDLR, and continue its own operations in Sud-Kivu," said the diplomat, who did not think the army could count on the support of CNDP troops recently integrated to its ranks.

In this case, another joint operation by Kinshasa and Kigali would "altogether possible", the diplomat said.

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