UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of combatants with a Rwandan Hutu rebel group have turned in their arms in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the country's United Nations peacekeeping mission said Friday.

    Some 67 members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) turned in their weapons in the presence of Congolese authorities Thursday in the town of Kasiki, 200 km north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

    The combatants arrived with some 100 of their dependants and turned in about 45 weapons, mostly AK-47 rifles.

    The U.N. mission, known as MONUC, welcomed this initiative, noting that this many FDLR combatants had not voluntarily disarmed at the same time since 2006.

    The number of former fighters participating in the Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration process (DDRRR) has increased by 30 percent since the signing of the Nairobi Communique.

    Signed by government representatives from DRC and Rwanda in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Nov. 9, 2007, the communique pledges a common approach to address threats to common security and stability from ex-militia.

    However, MONUC notes with regret that many combatants continue to be held back from taking part in the DDRRR process by their leaders.