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.
DRC: armed forces find secret weapons stash in Ituri province
Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, center, awaits his verdict in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 14, 2012.
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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.