The current revolt followed Gen. Ntaganda’s defection from the national army last month.
Troops loyal to Gen. Bosco Ntaganda who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, ICC over the weekend took two towns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the BBC reported. Reporters in the area said thousands of people have been fleeing the fierce fighting between Ntaganda’s forces and government’s troops.
The Congolese army admitted being pushed out of the towns of Mushake and Karuba by Gen. Ntaganda's men. The government soldiers are said to have retreated 12 km east to Sake and 30 km west of Goma, the regional capital, where they are reportedly regrouping for a counter-offensive. Fighting reportedly went on throughout Sunday night as fleeing residents carrying mattresses, kitchen utensils and suitcases headed for Sake and Goma.
The Voice of America, VOA quoted Kambala Musavuli, a spokesperson for ‘Friends of the Congo’ group as saying the current uprising by rebel forces began in March as international pressure mounted against Ntaganda. The general is wanted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly recruiting child soldiers, a charge he denies. The ICC arrest warrant was issued in 2006, and three years later, Ntaganda and his fighters were integrated into the Congolese army as part of a peace deal.
According to Uganda Picks news website quoting UN sources, Gen. Ntaganda defected from the Congolese army last month with about 400 to 500 heavily armed loyal soldiers from their base in Goma. He is the military Chief of Staff of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), an armed militia group operating in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Also known as ‘The Terminator’, Ntaganda was a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Army and allegedly a former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC). His rebels caused bloodshed in DRC in 2008 and many people fear that what happened may happen again now that Ntaganda has defected. Ntaganda was promoted to general in 2009 after he and his troops were integrated into the national army.
