Rwandan Hutu militia commander killed in eastern Congo - army

Democratic Republic of Congo's army said on Wednesday it had killed Sylvestre Mudacumura, the commander of a Rwandan Hutu militia who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Mudacumura, who has led the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) for years, was killed overnight in eastern Congo's Rutshuru territory, army spokesman Richard Kasonga said. The international court issued an arrest warrant for Mudacumura in 2012 for alleged attacks against civilians, murder, rape and torture in eastern Congo, where militia members have operated since the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.

Mudacumura was the deputy commander of the Rwandan presidential guard during the genocide, before fleeing to Congo with other senior security officials. There, they formed the militia that would later come to be known as the FDLR and waged periodic war with the Congolese government and other armed groups.

The Rwandan government cited the FDLR's presence on Congolese soil to justify repeated interventions across the border.