The Congolese army fights the militia of a convicted war criminal, with civilian casualties recorded
Congo’s army and a militia led by a war criminal convicted at the International Criminal Court but later freed clashed heavily this week, according to both sides. One civil society activist estimated that 19 civilians were killed in the fighting.
A native of Ituri named Thomas Lubanga told Reuters in March that he was establishing the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR) in order to overthrow the regional administration, posing yet another security risk in the war-torn eastern Congo, where M23 rebels supported by Rwanda have also taken control of a sizable portion of the country.
He maintained the gang had not conducted military actions at the time.
Yet, the Congolese army reported this week that the CPR had made several raids and that 12 of its militants had been killed by soldiers in two separate areas around 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Bunia, the capital of Ituri.
Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to his lack of authorization to inform the media, a CPR commander admitted that only “one of my men” had been killed but agreed that there had been fights.
Bunia civil society member Dieudonne Losa reported on Friday that 19 civilian deaths had been reported, including four little girls and 13 old ladies.
“What is happening north of Bunia is an unacceptable situation,” stated Losa.
In 2012, Lubanga was found guilty by the International Criminal Court of recruiting child soldiers and given a 14-year prison sentence.
After his release in 2020, he was assigned to a task force by President Felix Tshisekedi to promote peace in Ituri. However, a rebel group kidnapped him for two months in 2022, which he attributed to the government. He then established himself in Uganda.
The number of fighters Lubanga may be in control of is unknown. Last year, U.N. experts charged him with organizing militants to aid M23 and a local militia.
