Cobra Matata (also known as Banaloki Matata, Justin Banaloki, Justin Wanaloki, Justin Matata Wanaloki, and Matata Wanaloki) is a former leader of the

Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri The Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri (french: Force de résistance patriotique d’Ituri; FRPI) is a Bunia-based armed militia and political party primarily active in the south of the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of th ...

(FRPI) and

Popular Front for Justice in Congo The Popular Front for Justice in the Congo (french: Front populaire pour la justice au Congo, or FPJC) is an armed group operating in the south of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where it has participated in the Ituri ...

(FPJC) militias active in the

Ituri conflict The Ituri conflict (french: Guerre d'Ituri) is an ongoing conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the two groups had ...

in the northeastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. He was previously a member of the D.R. Congo armed forces (FARDC), having integrated in 2007 before deserting to reconstitute a rebel group in 2010. In November 2006, Matata had agreed to disarm in exchange for

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

. In the FARDC, Matata attained the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

. The

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals f ...

classified Matata as

Ngiti The Ngiti , or South Lendu, is an ethnolinguistic group located in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ngiti speakers call their language ''Ndruna''. In 1991, the Ngiti numbered 100,000 located in the Irumu territory sout ...

. Matata has been accused of leading the massacre at Nyakunde Hospital in 2002, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,200 civilians, and the subsequent

Bogoro massacre The assault on Bogoro, which occurred on February 24, 2003, was an attack on the village of Bogoro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by the Nationalist and Integrationist Front (FNI) and the Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri (F ...

. Matata succeeded

Germain Katanga Germain Katanga (; born 28 April 1978), also known as Simba (), is a former leader of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri (FRPI), an armed group in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).International Criminal Court ( ...

as leader of the FRPI after Katanga integrated into the FARDC in 2004. Matata surrendered to the Congolese government on November 21, 2014, and was arrested on January 2, 2015, in

Bunia Bunia is the capital city of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was part of the Orientale Province until that province's dissolution. It lies at an elevation of on a plateau about west of Lake Albert in the Alb ...

, a city in Ituri, for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the use of child soldiers. Matata was also accused of forming a rebel group, desertion, and attempting to escape detention. Prior to his surrender, Matata commanded an estimated 1,000 combatants in Ituri. The FARDC falsely claimed in 2011 that it had killed Matata.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matata, Cobra Living people People of the Ituri conflict Democratic Republic of the Congo rebels Prisoners and detainees of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Year of birth missing (living people)