Dumisani Kunalo

Dumisani Kunalo, South African Ambassador to UN, said, "While we are pleased with the increase in the number of peacekeepers that will be sent to this part of the country, we wish to also underline that this goes along with the political process that is also necessary."

Meanwhile, Congolese rebels say they had fended off an attack from the army and its allies on Thursday.

Despite the attack, the rebels say they are still committed to pulling back their men from front lines near Goma further north. But they've vowed to fight back if the government troops try to take control of the area.

The UN confirmed the rebels' pullback on Thursday, and called the move a positive step.

Years of sporadic violence in eastern Congo intensified in August, when fighting heated up between the army and fighters loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.

Nkunda claims to be protecting Tutsis from Hutus, who fled to Congo after Rwanda's 1994 genocide. But his critics accuse his forces of committing multiple human rights abuses.

(CCTV November 21, 2008)