DRC: armed forces find secret weapons stash in Ituri province

The Congolese armed forces made an unexpected discovery this week: buried in a mining site in Noro, a secret weapons stash was unearthed that could belong to Thomas Lubanga's militia.

Grenades, AK-47s and hundreds of boxes of ammunition: all of this was part of a secret weapons stash discovered by the Congolese armed forces in Ituri province this week.

According to a member of the Congolese armed forces, it is suspected that the stash belongs to the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR), a militia linked to Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, who was sentenced for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The arms stash was found buried on a mining site in Noro, in Djugu territory.

The armed forces were reportedly alerted by the local population and then found the stash.

The CPR is a relatively new militia, founded last year and mostly active in north-eastern Congo.

In recent months, it has suffered several defeats and a wave of desertions. Nevertheless, it is suspected that it continues to recruit fighters among the local population.