Submit this form
Home News Videos Music Photos Facebook Twitter Friends Newsletter Podcasts Mobile RSS
Newly arrested army dissidents escape

KINSHASA, 20 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - The governor of Congo's South Kivu Province, Didas Kaningini, said on Monday that 48 dissident soldiers who were arrested recently as they returned from exile to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had escaped from a jail.

"They escaped on Saturday," Kaningini said on Monday. "They forced open the door of the prison in a military camp in Ruhambo."

The camp is some 120 km south of the province capital, Bukavu.

Kaningini said they escaped with weapons. They had been arrested on 13 September while crossing the border from Burundi, carrying weapons and communication equipment.

The army said they were part of a dissident faction in the DRC army led by former Gen Laurent Nkunda and Col Jules Mutebusi who launched an attack South Kivu in May 2004, temporarily capturing Bukavu.

The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said it could not confirm the identity of the dissidents. "They escaped before we arrived in Ruhambo [to identify them," Sylvie Van Den Wildenberg, the MONUC spokeswoman in Bukavu, said.

She said MONUC had pledged to support government efforts to recapture the escapees.

Kaningini said the escapees had fled back east in the direction of Minembwe Highlands. He said the army had sent 250 soldiers in pursuit.


Related articles


  1. DR Congo Asks Rwanda to Turn Over M23 Rebel Leaders (July 26, 2013)
  2. Thousands of Women March Against M23 Rebels in Kinshasa (November 24, 2012)
  3. DR Congo, Rwanda Sign Pact to Fight Rebels in Eastern Congo (July 15, 2012)
  4. Kagame Is A Problem for The U.S. and The U.K. (June 23, 2012)
  5. UN Report Accuses Rwanda of Supporting Bosco Ntaganda Rebels (May 28, 2012)
  6. Kabila, Army Chief of Staff head to eastern Congo to deal with defectors (April 10, 2012)
  7. DR Congo Government Warns Bosco Ntaganda He May Face Justice (April 6, 2012)
  8. Tshisekedi Says He Won, Can He Prove It? (December 17, 2011)
  9. Kabila Confident He Will Win Re-Election (October 18, 2011)
  10. Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in DR Congo (June 28, 2011)
  11. Rights Groups: Strengthen Civilian Protection Before Elections (June 9, 2011)
  12. UN Sanctions FDLR Leaders, CNDP Rebel Commander Integrated into Army (December 2, 2010)
  13. UN launches patrols to head off rebel violence during holiday season (December 1, 2010)
  14. UN Report: CNDP, Congolese Soldiers Involved in Illegal Mining Operations (November 30, 2010)
  15. Congo Defense Minister Rejects UN Allegations against Army (October 17, 2010)
  16. Rebel leader presumed responsible for mass rape arrested (October 5, 2010)
  17. UN DR Congo Report Exposes Grave Crimes (October 1, 2010)
  18. UN says peacekeepers 'failed' DR Congo rape victims (September 7, 2010)
  19. UN Defends Inaction on Mass Rapes in Eastern Congo, Government Missing in Action (August 26, 2010)
  20. Two Suspects Arrested in Attack on MONUSCO Base (August 20, 2010)
  21. Ban Ki-moon deplores deadly attack against blue helmets in North Kivu (August 18, 2010)
  22. Ban Ki-moon inaugurates new phase of UN mission in DR Congo (July 1, 2010)
  23. Congo Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Independence (June 30, 2010)
  24. Top UN envoy bids farewell to first batch of blue helmets leaving DR Congo (June 16, 2010)
  25. Veteran United States diplomat appointed to top UN post in DR Congo (June 9, 2010)
  26. Top UN officials urge inquiry into killing of Congolese human rights activist (June 3, 2010)
  27. UN to reduce DR Congo peace force (May 28, 2010)
  28. Security Council agrees to convert UN mission in DR Congo into stabilization force (May 28, 2010)
  29. U.S. Official Sees Improvement in Africa's Great Lakes Region (May 26, 2010)
  30. Back from DR Congo, Security Council set to review mandate of UN force (May 17, 2010)


Live TV Congo Radio en ligne Radio
Available on App Store
Get it on Google Play



Contact Us | About Us | Édition en Français | French Edition

© CongoPlanet.com. All rights reserved.