Rebel Leader Claims Readiness to Liberate Congolese

The leader of the Patriotic Front for the Liberation of Congo armed group says President Joseph Kabila’s government has failed to keep its promise and has vowed to liberate the Democratic Republic of Congo soon.

General Gadi Ngabo says he will continue the struggle of former Congolese renegade army general Laurent Nkunda.

“I’m General Ngabo Gadi (and) I want to liberate Congo because Congo has problems,” he said.

Congo’s media reported that Emmanuel Msengiyumva has abandoned the national army (FARDC) to join forces with Ngabo in anticipation of their rebellion.

Ngabo said the renegade Msengiyumva will help his struggled to liberate Congolese.

“I’m going to use them to liberate Congo because there is nothing in the FARDC….There is nothing there, because FARDC is a very bad organization,” Ngabo said.

Congo has been enjoying relative peace after the government signed various peace agreements with armed groups in the formerly restive parts of the country.

Ngabo said he will protect Congolese from the government’s “oppression”.

“I’m going to give Congolese security and peace and the development of Congo because Congolese are like refugees in their country,” Ngabo said.

But Lambert Mende, Congo’s information minister dismissed Ngabo’s claim, saying the rebel leader will soon be arrested and prosecuted for the crimes he committed against Congolese.

“I think that if Congo needs to be liberated, it needs to be liberated from people like Gadi Ngabo, who are working for the interest of foreign interests, very well known foreign interests that have been reported recently by the UN. We know where he comes from. We know where he was. We know who are funding him…We know that a warrant of arrest has been delivered for him. Very soon if really in Congo, he will be in jail and presented to his judge,” Mende said.