Nairobi - A rebel group that has been battling the government in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo dismissed claims that its leader had been ousted as peace talks were set to recommence on Wednesday.

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 General Laurent Nkunda for "bad governance."

However, most of the CNDP's leadership council on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to Nkunda and sent a delegation to Kenyan capital Nairobi, where the peace talks are to take place.

Nonetheless, there are fears that the CNDP could now split and reignite the fighting, which has calmed down in recent weeks.

Brigadier General Bosco Ntaganda, who announced that Nkunda had been removed, reportedly held a meeting with a breakaway faction on Tuesday.

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.

Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for conscripting child soldiers, is reportedly angry that Nkunda pulled back from taking the city of Goma.

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)