Hutu rebels deny kidnapping Catholic officials

Hutu rebels deny kidnapping Catholic officials
(AFP) – 1 day ago
KINSHASA — Rwandan Hutu rebels operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo denied on Monday that they kidnapped two Catholic officials and held them for a 5,000-dollar (3,400-euro) ransom.
The Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) "have always condemned and continue to strongly condemn all kidnappings of civilians and demands for ransoms that have taken place in the east of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), including the abduction of the two religious officials," Callixte Mbarushimana, the group's executive secretary, said in a statement.
The Catholic priest and a seminarian were kidnapped late Friday when rebels attacked their parish in the town of Ciherano, in the eastern province of Sud-Kivu.
Both were released early Saturday morning after the ransom was paid.
Colonel Delphin Kahimbi, commander of military operations in the province, told AFP on Saturday that the FDLR were behind the pair's abduction, a claim which the FDLR's Mbarushimana described as "lies" in the group's statement.
Sud-Kivu is one of the country's most unstable regions due to the presence of various Congolese armed groups and exiled Rwandan Hutu rebels.
Since July, the military, with logistics help from United Nations peacekeepers, has intensified its operations to track down FDLR members accused of committing abuses against civilians