Three humanitarian workers kidnapped in eastern DR Congo

Three members of Caritas Congo, a Catholic humanitarian organization, have been kidnapped on Tuesday in ​​the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Spokesman for the organisation suspected the Hutu rebel group, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), of carrying out the kidnapping which occurred near Goma.

“Two vehicles of the Caritas Congo ASBL were attacked at Misinga (situated 125 km northwest of Goma, capital of North Kivu) and three Congolese workers were kidnapped during the ambush,” Guy-Marin Kamandji, communications officer of Caritas-Congo told AFP.

“The other vehicle also came under fire but managed to turn back with all the occupants including a German photo-journalist who was wounded in the leg. The convoy was carrying neither money nor support,” he said.

The founders of the FDLR and a number of its veterans are wanted by international courts for playing active roles in the Rwandan genocide. The group mainly scattered in North and South Kivu are regularly accused of committing atrocities against civilians in areas under their control.