KINSHASA, Congo - Hundreds of Rwandan troops have entered eastern Congo in an effort to undermine the Hutu rebels who participated in Rwanda's genocide.

Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende says the Rwandan forces arrived Tuesday morning.

The UN peacekeeping force in Congo estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 Rwandan soldiers in eastern Congo.

Rwanda and Congo have agreed to step up efforts against the Hutu rebels in Congo, where they operate just over the border from Rwanda.

The Hutu fighters fled to Congo in 1994 after helping massacre more than a half-million Tutsis. They remain there untouched, heavily armed, and in control of lucrative mines in remote hills and forests.