About Seventeen soldiers including seven senior officers of the Congolese national army (FARDC) of units formerly based in the main town of Lubero territory have defected during the night of June 21 to join the M23 rebels.
Local Congolese media has reported that the defecting soldiers have all joined the rebellion led by the M23 in Rutshuru.
Col. Serushago, Commander of the Congolese National Police (PNC) / Lubero told local media that the seventeen deserters left their camp at about 22 hours (local time), Wednesday, June 20.
They took the direction of Kasuo, 45 km Southwest of Lubero.
These deserters assured custody of Lt.Col. Douglas, in charge of information within the FARDC to Lubero fifth sector, which is “also absent from his post last Monday,” the source said.
It is also reported that Kasuo locality is, since last May, under the control of Mai-Mai Kakule.
Since last weekend, another group of former soldiers of the National Congress for People’s Defense (CNDP), led by Lt.Col. Mboneza, arrived in kasuo village from the forest of Beni via Mangurejipa.
Col. Mboneza who was the commander of the 808th regiment second FARDC in Beni also defected last Sunday.
Presence of armed groups in the area has created panic among the local population most of whom have started fleeing to the towns of Lubero, Kitsombiro or Kirumba a source noted to local press.
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