AFRICA/CONGO DR - Two soldiers arrested for the murder of the parish priest of Kanyabayonga

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The suspected killers of Fr Bakulene Christian, parish priest of Kanyabayonga, have been arrested in the territory of Lubero (North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), killed on 8 November (see Fides 9, 10 November 2010).
According to reports from the DIA Agency in Kinshasa, the two men accused of the murder of the priest are two soldiers of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the regular army) belonging to the second integrated brigade, whose base is Luofu in southern Lubero, 200 km from Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
According to DIA, the arrest of the two soldiers is the first result of an investigation by the Joint Commission created to investigate the murder, consisting of representatives of the FARDC, the military prosecutor's office, local government and police services. The Commission President said that the investigations are continuing in order to determine the motive for the murder.
The murder of Fr Bakulene aroused deep emotion in the local population. At the end of November, the clergy of the diocese of Butembo-Beni had denounced the existence of “a genocide in the making” in North Kivu (see Fides 27/11/2010). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 02/12/2010)