A Mai Mai warlord known as Gédéon, in Congo’s southeastern province of Katanga turned himself in on Friday to MONUC peacekeeping troops.  Human Rights Watch has called on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help make sure the DRC’s transitional governemnt will charge Gédéon with war crimes for killing and torturing scores of civilians.  

In April, HRW researchers learned that combatants under Gédéon’s command and his fellow Mai Mai leaders had killed, raped abused civilians since 2002. Sometimes, the Mai Mai publicly tortured victims before killing them in public ceremonies in order to terrorize the local population.  

 ”Gédéon’s surrender is good news for the victims of Mai Mai atrocities in Katanga. He must now be tried for the widespread war crimes he is alleged to have committed. That would be good news for justice throughout Congo,”  said Alison Des Forges, senior Africa adviser at Human Rights Watch. 

The Mai Mai, in the province of Katanga, is a local defense force supported by the Congolese government when it was engaged in an armed conflict with Rwanda and Uganda. Most Mai Mai groups in Congo were formed to resist the invasion of Rwandese forces. IRIN News Africa has an interesting story with great background information on this region in DRC, as well as an interview with a Congolese colonel on efforts in bringing Gedeon to justice.

Read the rest of this entry »