Rebels free 3 peace envoys of DR Congo president held captive since February

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Three peace envoys of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi have been released after being kept hostage by a rebel group for more than a month, an official said on Tuesday.

They were among an eight-member delegation taken hostage by militiamen from the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) in the country’s northeastern Ituri province in February.

The three hostages, including former warlord Germain Katanga and Ayendu Bin Ekwale, president of the Union of Cultural Associations for the Development of Ituri, were released after talks with CODECO militiamen, said Pitchout Mbodina Iribi, spokesman for the Task Force for Peace, Reconciliation and Reconstruction of Ituri.

Another hostage identified as Jean-Baptiste Dhechuvi was released on March 21, leaving four of Tshisekedi’s peace envoys in the group’s custody.

The envoys were taken captive when they went to Ituri’s Djugu region to convince armed groups to lay down their weapons as part of Tshisekedi’s demobilization program.

They were reportedly taken hostage after government forces bombed CODECO positions.

The group laid out several demands to free the captives, including the release of CODECO prisoners, cessation of military operations and the lifting of the state of siege imposed in Ituri and North Kivu since last May.​​​​​​​