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ICC issues warrant for Rwanda rebel chief Mudacumura

THE HAGUE, July 13 – The International Criminal Court said it issued an arrest warrant Friday for Rwandan rebel leader Sylvestre Mudacumura for war crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Today, 13 July 2012, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest for Sylvestre Mudacumura, following the request of the ICC prosecutor,” the court said in a statement.

Mudacumura, 58, a military commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), is wanted on nine war crimes counts and five counts of crimes against humanity allegedly committed by his forces.

The crimes were allegedly committed between January 20, 2009 and late September 2010, said the court based in The Hague.

The charges are attacks against the civilian population, murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, rape, torture, destruction of property, looting and attacks on human dignity, the statement said.

“The chamber considered that the arrest of Mr Mudacumura is necessary to ensure that he will appear before the judges,” said the ICC statement.

The judges decided to accept a second request for an arrest warrant filed by the prosecutor in June after rejecting an initial application on May 31.

The FDLR Hutu rebel group has been based in eastern DR Congo since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsi minority.

Some FDLR fighters took part in the killings, which the United Nations say left 800,000 people dead in 100 days. Mudacumura was a commander in the Rwandan army at the time of the massacres.

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