Nairobi/Goma - Confusion reigned Tuesday over who was in charge of the main rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo after reports that General Laurent Nkunda had been ousted were denied.

A group of officers from the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) on Monday sent a statement to the BBC saying they had ousted Nkunda for "bad governance."

However, a spokesman for Nkunda, who has been leading a rebellion in the east of the sprawling nation, then denied this was the case.

Fighting between the CNDP and government troops exploded in October after beginning to ramp up in August.

The CNDP, made up of around 6,000 battle-hardened soldiers, routed the shambolic Congolese army and came within a whisker of taking the city of Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province.

Over 250,000 civilians have been displaced as a result of the fresh clashes, and there have been reports that all combatants have been murdering and raping civilians and going on looting sprees.

The fighting has now calmed down and the CNDP has begun peace talks.

The officers claiming to have kicked out Nkunda said they would continue with the peace process.

The CNDP says it is fighting to protect Tutsis from the Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

The FLDR contains Hutu militia who fled to DR Congo from Rwanda in 1994 after being involved in the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. (dpa)