Democratic Republic of Congo’s army on Wednesday confirmed it has shot down Sylvestre Mudacumura, the commander of a Rwandan Hutu militia who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
DRC’s army spokesman Richard Kasonga said Mudacumura was killed in eastern Congo’s Rutshuru territory, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital of the province Goma.
“Sylvestre Mudacumura was neutralized by the armed forces of Congo along with all the elements accompanying him … in Rutshuru territory,” army spokesman Kasonga told Reuters.
Mudacumura has been the commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) since its founding in 2000 by Hutu officials. The rebel group mainly comprises of the remnants of the former Rwandan government forces and Interahamwe militia accused of committing atrocities in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He fled to Congo along with other senior security officials after being defeated by Rwandan Patriotic Army led by current President Paul Kagame.
In Congo, Mudacumura and his close aides formed the militia that later come to be known as the FDLR and waged periodic war with the Congolese government and other armed groups. The international court had issued an arrest warrant for Mudacumura in 2012 for alleged attacks against civilians, murder, rape and torture in eastern DRC.
Kasonga said Mudacumura’s death will force other FDLR holdout members, whether still fighting in the bush or temporarily settled in government-run camps in Congo, to accept repatriation to Rwanda.
The Rwandan authorities welcomed the news of Mudacumura’s death.
“The death of Sylvestre Mudacumura is good news for peace and security in the region,” state minister for regional affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe told AFP.
Nduhungirehe said the FDLR leaders’ death confirms President Felix Tshisekedi’s commitment in fighting militants and will likely open a new era of good and peaceful cooperation between DRC and countries in the region.
