FDLR leader Mudacumura Killed

The leader of Rwandan rebel group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda-FDLR operating in Democratic republic of Congo Lt Gen. Sylvestre Mudacumura has been killed.

Sources indicate that the leader of the rebel outfit which was named a terrorist group due to its atrocities in DRC was killed in Nyanzale, Masisi territory of North Kivu Province, Eastern part of the country.

The Congolese Army-FARDC announced its their forces that killed Mudacumura in Bwito on Wednesday morning.

“Sylvestre Mudacumura was neutralised by the armed forces of Congo along with all the elements accompanying him … in Rutshuru territory,” army spokesman Richard Kasonga told Reuters news agency.

Mudacumura who led the FDLR which mainly composed of genocide perpetrators since its formation in 2000 has been wanted by International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes committed by the rebel group in DRC where several people were killed, women raped and others displaced from their homes.

Before the 1994, Mudacumura born in 1954 was deputy commander of the presidential guard to Juvenile Habyarimana and after the takeover by Rwanda Patriotic Front-RPF; he went into exile in Germany where he met Ignace Murwanashyaka who later headed the FDLR political bureau.

With his military experience, he was able to reorganise refugees that were mainly Genocide perpetrators and formed a rebel group but the group since its founding has been involved in   war crimes which prompted ICC to issue warrant of arrests to its leaders including Mudacumura.  

As a result 10, 0000 combatants defected and voluntarily returned to Rwanda in the past few years.

Meanwhile, the minister of state for foreign affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe said that the death of Mudacumura is good news to Rwanda and shows that DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi has shown his commitment to fight negative forces operating in DRC.