James Godwin Reporting
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has issued an international arrest warrant for the leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23, for war crimes and treason.
State media reported on Thursday that the warrant was issued on Tuesday against Corneille Nangaa for massacres it claimed he committed in eastern DRC’s North Kivu and, more recently, in South Kivu regions – constituting a crime under Congolese legislation, as well as international law.
The court has ordered Nangaa to be arrested wherever he may be found and brought to Congolese territory.
Violence erupted in Goma, a city of two million people in eastern DRC, two weeks ago when the M23 fighters launched a major offensive against government forces.
On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that at least 2,800 people died in Goma due to the violence.
Thousands of people have also been displaced, with many fleeing to neighbouring Rwanda, including staff from international organisations such as the UN and the World Bank.
Swiss Church Aid said on Thursday that three of its local employees were killed during an attack in Rutshutu Territory which was captured by the M23 fighters last week. The aid group, also known as HEKS/EPER, did not say who was responsible for their deaths.