Six Tanzanian Muslim imams have been kidnapped by suspected Rwandan rebels in Katwiguru, located in the Demoratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s eastern region, Al-Hadji Hashim Musa, head of North Kivu’s Islamic community, has told Anadolu Agency.
After preaching in certain localities in North Kivu (also located in eastern DRC), the imams set out from Rutshuru to Katwiguru on August 2, Musa said.
According to Musa, the group was abducted – along with their Congolese driver – by rebels associated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Musa said the kidnappers had contacted the offices of the Islamic Community in Goma, a city in eastern DRC, and demanded a $40,000 ransom for the imams’ release.
“We have informed government security agencies of the abductions,” Musa said.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Thomas d’Aquin Mwithi, a leading civil society figure in North Kivu, condemned the reported abductions and called on the authorities to secure the imams’ release.
Kidnappings have become commonplace in Rutshuru. In April, FDLR militants reportedly abducted three UN workers in the region before releasing them shortly afterward.
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