Nairobi/Goma - Rwandan troops on Tuesday entered the Democratic Republic of Congo to hunt down Hutu rebel forces formed after the 1994 massacre in Rwanda, reports said Tuesday.

The United Nations peacekeeping force MONUC said in statement that it had noted the presence of the Rwandans, but was taking no part in the operation, which was agreed by the Congolese and Rwandan governments on December 5.

Local sources said that several thousand Rwandan troops had reached the Kibati refugee camp, near Goma - the provincial capital of the eastern North Kivu province.

Congolese Tutsi rebel group the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) in October launched a major offensive that sent over 250,000 people fleeing.

The CNDP, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, says it is fighting to protect the Tutsi population from the Hutu militia.

The Congolese government has promised to tackle the Hutu militia on several occasions, but has failed to do so. The CNDP says this is one of the main reasons it was forced to take up arms again.

Many of the Hutu fighters fled over the border from Rwanda in 1994 after taking part in the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

The Hutu groups were also involved in the 1998-2003 war in DR Congo, which has led to the deaths of over 5 million people and displaced over 1 million. (dpa)