Democratic Republic of Congo has said it has arrested a Middle Eastern national for alleged ties to an Islamist militia in the east of DRC, potentially the first time a non-African fighter has been found working with the group.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist armed group led by Ugandans, has been blamed for dozens of massacres with hatchets and firearms in the last three years, mostly in remote villages.
Congo’s government spokesman Patrick Muyaya confirmed the man’s arrest.
“If this individual is confirmed to have been sent by the Islamic State’s central leadership, it would also be the first clear indication that the Islamic state is providing their Congo affiliate with direct technical assistance,” said Laren Poole of Bridgeway Foundation, a U.S.-based thinktank that studies the group.
In May, the government introduced martial law to pacify the country’s mineral-rich east, where the ADF and over 100 other armed groups operate.
President Felix Tshisekedi told the U.N. general assembly on Tuesday the move had succeeded in killing hundreds of militiamen and dismantling several weapons and mineral-trafficking networks.
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