Reports indicate that soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have apprehended a suspected militia leader and paraded him in front of the public.
According to Jean Paul Ntoto of the Butembo police, the man was a member of the Mai Mai group and had been tattooing young boys, telling them it would shield them from stray gunshots. The suspect frequently attacked military installations in North Kivu’s Butembo.
“He is a Mai Mai leader, an outlaw. When the Monusco [United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo] base was attacked on 26 July, we saw him with a spear among a group of people,” Mr Ntoto told RTNC radio.
Along with two other alleged bandits who authorities claim had a gun and ammunition, the militia leader was shot and taken into custody.
This is coming barely 72 hours after ADF militia launched an attack on a community in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 14 people.
Over 30 homes were set on fire. During a ceremony on Sunday, the victims were interred in a single grave. The lack of soldiers in the area was blamed by locals for the attack.
