The convicted war criminal, Thomas Lubanga, based in Uganda, has declared the formation of a new rebel movement - the Convention for the Popular Revolution - aimed at overthrowing the government in Ituri province, eastern Congo, posing yet another security threat in the conflict-ravaged region.
The province is just north of North Kivu, where Congo's army is already facing the unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
Lubanga told Reuters that the CPR had both political and military elements, including armed men in three areas of Ituri.
He said that bringing peace to the area "requires an immediate change in governance and government," though he added that the group has not launched military operations.
It is unclear how many combatants Lubanga might control. UN experts last year accused him of mobilising fighters to support a local militia and M23.
Congo's presidency has not responded to requests for comment yet.
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Convicted criminal redeemed
Lubanga was charged in 2012 by The International Criminal Court (ICC) for recruiting child soldiers, and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
He was then released in 2020 when President Felix Tshisekedi appointed him to a task force to bring peace to Ituri. But in 2022 he was taken hostage for two months by a rebel group, something which he blamed on the government.
Ituri has been rocked by violence by various armed groups for decades, and Ugandan troops are present there to help the government fight another rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), affiliated with the Islamic State. They have staged brutal attacks on villages.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) last week described "a renewed spike in atrocities" in Ituri that had killed more than 200 civilians and displaced around 100,000 people since the beginning of the year.
Ongoing peace talks
The announcement of the formation of this new group comes as Qatari mediators are trying to end the conflict between M23 and the Congolese forces.
They hosted a second round of talks on Friday between RDC and Rwanda, and separately met representatives of the Rwandan-backed rebellion.
The group continues its offensive after the capture of the strategic towns of Goma, Bukavu and more recently Walikale.
Rwandan-backed M23 gains in eastern DRC spark UN warnings and regional fears
Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met last week in Doha for their first talks since M23 rebels stepped up an offensive there in January.
The talks provided a glimmer of hope for a de-escalation of eastern Congo's biggest conflict in decades, but M23 dismissed those calls for a truce, asking for direct talks with Kinshasa.
(with Reuters)
