#Other countries : A senior officer in the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, commander of military operations once morest the rebel group “M23″ in the east of the country, has been arrested and imprisoned, Congolese media announced on Tuesday, citing suspicions of ” high treason”.
A military source confirmed to AFP, on condition of anonymity, the arrest of Lieutenant-General Yav, without any details on the possible reason for his arrest. Contacted, General Léon-Richard Kasonga, spokesperson for the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC), did not want to answer.
Commander of the third defense zone, which covers the entire eastern and northeastern part of the DRC, Philémon Yav took over the conduct of military operations in North Kivu once morest the M23 in mid-July. He had replaced in this function General Constant Ndima, military governor of the province.
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The M23, for “Movement of March 23”, is a former Tutsi-dominated rebellion defeated in 2013, which took up arms once more at the end of last year, accusing Kinshasa of not having respected agreements on demobilization and reintegration. of his fighters.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting this rebellion, which Kigali disputes.
For three months, M23 rebels have occupied Bunagana, an important locality in Rutshuru territory, on the Ugandan border.
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Moreover, also in North Kivu, a colonel, battalion commander, has just been charged and imprisoned in Goma, the provincial capital. He is suspected of having poisoned a general, Ghislain Tshinkobo, army chief for North Kivu, whose death in mid-August was initially considered to have resulted from a heart attack, it was said. from a military source. According to a relative, the colonel proclaims his innocence.
Like the neighboring province of Ituri, North Kivu has been under a state of siege since May 2021. The civil authorities there have been replaced by army and police officers.
