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Militia leader assumes army chief duties

    NAIROBI

    Mayi-Mayi commander Sylvestre Louetcha assumed his new duties as DRC's chief of defence staff on Saturday and held his first meeting with the military top brass in Kinshasa, Congolese television reported. President Laurent-Desire Kabila had appointed Louetcha as his army chief last September. Louetcha was "one of the rare aides of the president of the republic who has remained faithful to him for more than 30 years," the
    television said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, as a result of Louetcha's
    appointment, the Kabila government "can no longer disclaim all
    responsibility" for the human rights violations committed by the Mayi-Mayi militia, UN Human Rights Rapporteur Roberto Garreton said in his recent report on the situation in the DRC.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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