Laurent Nkunda

Laurent Nkunda(bornLaurent Nkundabatware; February 2, 1967) is a Congolese former military officer and warlord who operated in theNorth KivuProvince during theKivu conflict.
Nkunda, who is aCongolese Tutsi, initially fought as a rebel fighter in theRwandan Civil Waralongside the forces of theRwandan Patriotic Front(RPF) against the genocidal Hutu-led government in Rwanda. In 1996, he returned to the Congo and joinedLaurent Kabila'sAFDLforces during theFirst Congo War. However, he later rebelled against Kabila's government and joined the rebellion led by Rwandan-alligned rebels during theSecond Congo War. Following the end of the Second Congo War, he was integrated into theCongolese Armyin 2003 but would again later rebel against the government, marking the beginning of theKivu conflict.
On January 22, 2009, he was put under house arrest inGisenyiwhen he was called for a meeting to plan a joint operation between the Congolese and Rwandan militaries.
Laurent Nkunda was born on February 2, 1967, at the village of Mutanda, located in eastern Congo. Prior to his rebel career, Nkunda studiedpsychologyat theKisangani University,and then became a school teacher inKichanga.
During theRwandan genocide, which broke out amid theRwandan Civil War, Nkunda traveled toRwanda, joining theTutsi-ledRwandan Patriotic Front(RPF) who were fighting against theRwandan Armed Forces(FAR), the military of the genocidalHutu-led government.
After the RPF defeated and overthrew the Hutu-led regime in Rwanda to become the newgovernment of Rwanda, Nkunda returned to the Congo (then namedZaire). During theFirst Congo War, he fought alongsideAFDLrebels led byLaurent-Désiré Kabila, who overthrewMobutu Sese Seko.
At the outset of theSecond Congo War, Nkunda joined and became amajorin theCongolese Rally for Democracy(RCD) rebel group, fighting on the side of Rwandan,Ugandan,Burundian, and other rebel forces.
In 2003, with the official end to war, Nkunda was integrated into the  national army of theTransitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congoas acoloneland by 2004, he was promoted to general and commanded the 81st and 83rd brigades of theCongolese Army. However, he soon rejected the authority of the government and defected with some formerRCD-Gomarebel fighters to the Masisi forests in North Kivu,where he raised the flag of rebellion against the government ofJoseph Kabila(who had succeeded his father in 2001). Nkunda claimed to be defending the interests of the Tutsi minority in eastern Congo who were subjected to attacks by Hutus, who had fled after their involvement with theRwandan genocide.
In August 2007, the area under Nkunda's control lay north of Lake Kivu in Nord-Kivu in the territories ofMasisiandRutshuru. In this area, Nkunda established his headquarters by building necessary infrastructure and developing institutions of order. He established a political organisation known as theNational Congress for the Defence of the People(CNDP).
In fighting that began on 27 October 2008, known as the 2008 Nord-Kivu campaign, Nkunda ledCNDPrebels who fought against both the Congolese government forces,FDLRmilitias, andUnited Nationsforces of the 17,000 UN contingent in the country. It was reported that he was advancing on the city ofGomawith the aim of capturing it, with the Congolese army claiming he was receiving aid fromRwanda.
The fighting uprooted 200,000 civilians, bringing the total number of people displaced by theKivu conflictto 2 million,causing civil unrestlarge food shortagesand what the United Nations calls "a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions."
In an interview with theBBCon November 10, 2008, Nkunda threatened to topple the government of theDemocratic Republic of Congoif the president,Joseph Kabila, continued to avoid direct negotiations.
Throughout the years, Nkunda has come under scrutiny and been accused by a number of organizations of committing human rights abuses. Nkunda was indicted by the Congolese government forwar crimesin September 2005.
According to human rights monitors such asRefugees International, Nkunda's troops have been alleged to have committed acts of murder, rape, and pillaging of civilian villages; a charge which Nkunda denies.Amnesty Internationalsays his troops have abducted children as young as 12 and forced them to serve aschild soldiers.
In May 2002, he was accused of massacring 160 people inKisanganiduring the Second Congo War, promptingUN Human Rights CommissionerMary Robinsonto call for his arrest following the abduction and beating of two UN investigators by his troops.He has claimed that the UN have ignored the widespread attacks on Tutsis in the region as they did during theRwandan genocidein 1994.
TheUnited Nationshas identified Nkunda's CNDP as being one of the main groups responsible for the recruitment ofchild soldiersin the Congo.Nkunda denies these allegations, stating that as of 2005 he has demobilised 2,500 "young soldiers".His total army was estimated at 7,000–8,000 men.
Nkunda may have been usurped in leadership by fellow generalBosco Ntaganda, who became the new representative of the group. The two might have had a falling out over a massacre of civilians perpetrated by Ntaganda's forces.
Nkunda was arrested on 22 January 2009 after he had crossed into Rwanda.  After unsuccessfully attempting to defeat the CNDP militarily, Congolese president Kabila made a deal with PresidentPaul Kagameof Rwanda to allow Rwandan soldiers into the DRC to uproot FDLR militants in exchange for Rwanda removing Nkunda.Rwandan officials have yet to say if he will be handed over to DR Congo, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest.A military spokesperson said he had been seized after sending three battalions to repel an advance by a joint Congolese-Rwandan force.The force was part of a joint Congolese-Rwandan operation which was launched to hunt Rwandan Hutu militiamen operating in DR Congo.Nkunda is currently being held at an undisclosed location in Rwanda.A Rwandan military spokesman has claimed, however, that Nkunda is being held atGisenyi, a city inRubavudistrict in theWestern Provinceof Rwanda.
On 26 March 2010, theRwandan Supreme Courtruled that his case could only be heard by a military court since the military had been responsible for his apprehension. Nkunda's defense had sought in vain to have his detention declared illegal,and he has yet to be charged with a crime.
Nkunda has six children. He is apolyglotwho speaksEnglish,French,Swahili,Kinyarwanda,LingalaandKinande, and has claimed to admire leaders includingGandhiandGeorge W. Bush.Nkunda claims to be a Seventh-day Adventist minister, and is aPentecostalChristian.He says that most of his rebel troops have converted.In the 2008 documentaryBloodColtan, Nkunda proudly shows a button he wears that reads "Rebels for Christ." He also claims to receive help and guidance from American "Rebels for Christ" who visit the Congo spreadingPentecostalChristianity.The Seventh-day Adventist Church has denied Nkunda's claims of being a pastor and member of the church.