December 31, 2014-Rwanda’s New Times reports that the United states has termed the recent surrender of 150 FDLR rebels “an insufficient step” and called for the planned military action against the group set for January 2, 2015.

The US says that the surrender in the DRC’s Kivu province does not meet the terms of the ultimatum issued by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Southern Africa development Community (SADC).

According to US Special Envoy senator Russ Feingold, “the group [FDLR] has clearly demonstrated over the past six months that a purely voluntarily surrender process will not work. Instead, military action must be undertaken to pressure the FDLR to lay down its arms.”

“Any delay in military operation by the DRC military and MONUSCO after january 2 will play into the FDLR’s hands and only serve to enable the group to commit human rights abuses and prey on the civilian population in the Eastern DRC,” he added.

Senator Feingold also said that the group has used the six month window to to continuously commit atrocities and recruit people, rather than voluntarily surrender.

This position, points out the New Times, reflects Rwanda’s longstanding opinion that the group would never voluntarily surrender and that a military solution was required.