Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Three DRC Rebel Leaders Surrender
30 JAN, 2019 - 00:01 
 
KINSHASA. — Three militia leaders, including a man accused of murdering 39 police officers, surrendered yesterday in a show of support for DRC’s new President Felix Tshisekedi, local officials said yesterday.

All three, who belong to the Kamwina Nsapu (Black Ant) militia, which has been accused of a host of bloody atrocities, laid down their weapons along with more than 100 men in the restive central Kasai region, a stronghold of President Tshisekedi.

The apparently coordinated display of surrender was a boost for President Tshisekedi who was sworn in last Thursday and faces numerous challenges at the helm of this vast unstable nation following bitterly disputed elections.

The move came just days after 600 other Kasai rebels also laid down their weapons, saying they were ending their uprising as they turned themselves in — also as a sign of support for Tshisekedi.

Lokondo Luakatebua, one of the three who turned themselves in yesterday, is accused of leading a 2017 operation that trapped and killed 39 policemen, according to ODL, a local development organisation based in the central Kasai town of Luebo.

— AFP.

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