By RFIPalled on 18-09-2019editarydated on 18-09-2019 at 23:04

The Congolese armed forces have announced that they "neutralized" the main military leader of the Hutu militia of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Sylvestre Mudacumura. Many questions appeared the day after its elimination.

Who killed the FDLR military commander ? It is officially " a feat of arms, a victory for the Congolese army, " according to the spokesman of the FARDC, General Léon-Richard Kasongo.

But civil society and residents of the province of North Kivu ensure that the Congolese militia of self-proclaimed General Guidon , which is the subject of an arrest warrant from the ICC, participated in the hunt for FDLR elements . Kinshasa denies and assures that his soldiers acted " alone ".

At this point, it is still " too early to say exactly who actually conducted this operation, " said Fred Bauma, of the study group on the Congo. " Is it the FARDC that conducted this operation, did they conduct it alone ? And who are the other units or forces that participated in this operation ? Asks Fred Bauma.

Circumstances

Another question concerns the exact circumstances in which he was killed. The spokesman of the Congolese army explained that Sylvestre Mudacumura and his lieutenants had been " localized and surprised " before being " permanently neutralized ", without giving more details.

Jean-Robert Senga, DRC researcher for Amnesty International, believes it is " important for the army to clarify the circumstances of his death, " explaining that the elements held by the NGO " tend to show that he has been summarily executed . " " He should have been arrested and handed over to the ICC for justice, " he said.

His death will have an effect on the organization, which is already weakened. The nuisance capacity of the FDLR has been fairly reduced for several years now.

Fred Bauma

18-09-2019 - By Sébastien Duhamel

Doubts

According to the civil society of the North Kivu province, everyone apparently had an interest in the leader of the Rwandan Hutu militia disappearing without revealing about his various alliances in the region.

The International Criminal Court, which says it took note of this information, will first check whether it is indeed him. " If his death is confirmed, the judges would then put an end to the proceedings against him, " said one of the spokesmen of the ICC.

This is good news for peace in the region. (...) And this is a confirmation of the president's willingness to neutralize the negative forces, genocidal, terrorists who are in the east of the DRC.

Olivier Nduhungirehe

18-09-2019 - By Sébastien Duhamel

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