AP Interview: Tanzanian president warns Congo rebel groups to lay down arms or be hunted down

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – The president of Tanzania is warning armed rebels operating in eastern Congo to put down their arms or risk being hunted down by Congolese and U.N. forces.

Tanzania has contributed troops to a special U.N. brigade tasked with pursuing armed groups in Congo's east, where several rebel groups vie for control of the mineral-rich area and its resources.

In an interview with The Associated Press, President Jakaya Kikwete hailed the U.N. intervention force's success in defeating the M23 rebels, one of the main armed groups in the area.

But that defeat and Tanzania's participation in the force have irritated neighboring Rwanda, which is widely believed to have backed the M23 rebels to serve as a buffer against another armed group.

Kikwete denied there was any significant dispute with Rwanda.