Kinshasa, May 14 (IANS) The Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), an armed group active in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Thursday it would observe a unilateral ceasefire ahead of what it described as preliminary talks with the Congolese government under Ugandan facilitation.
In a statement released Thursday and signed by its leader, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the CRP said the ceasefire would take effect at midnight on Thursday to “give an optimal chance of success” to the pre-dialogue between the group and the government in Kinshasa.
The group also urged the opposing side to refrain from “any provocation” that could lead to further escalation in Ituri Province, saying the province did not need more violence.
There was no immediate public response from the Congolese government, Xinhua news agency reported.
Lubanga, a former militia leader, was convicted by the International Criminal Court in 2012 for war crimes related to the recruitment and use of child soldiers. In March 2020, Lubanga was released after having served 14 years of imprisonment.
The CRP has been reported to be active in Ituri Province, where Congolese government forces have recently conducted operations against the group in Djugu territory. Local and UN-backed media have also reported displacement and insecurity linked to clashes involving the CRP in the province.
In January 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sounded the alarm over a surge in violence in Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is severely disrupting life-saving operations in the region.
OCHA reported that the insecurity has effectively cut off assistance to more than 87,000 displaced people currently living in and around Bule, and these families face critical shortages of food, healthcare and clean water, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.
–IANS
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