A convicted war criminal based in Uganda has announced a new rebel movement intent on toppling the government in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, creating another potential security threat in the war-scarred region.
The formation of the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR) by Thomas Lubanga, an Ituri native, comes as Congo’s army faces an unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels elsewhere in eastern Congo.
The International Criminal Court secured its first conviction against Lubanga in 2012 on charges of recruiting child soldiers and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
He was released in 2020 and 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, which he blames on the government, and is now based in Uganda.
In written responses to questions from Reuters, Lubanga said the CPR had both political and military elements, including armed men in three areas of the targeted area, Ituri.
