ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF A MILITIA GROUP IN NORTHEASTERN CONGO HAS BEEN WOUNDED AND CAPTURED IN FIGHTING WITH THE CONGOLESE ARMY, THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRY SAID ON TUESDAY, REUTERS REPORTED. INNOCENT KAINA, KNOWN BY HIS NOM DE GUERRE "INDIA QUEEN", WAS WOUNDED DURING AN ARMY OPERATION IN THE JUNGLES OF ITURI DISTRICT IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. HE WAS EVACUATED BY U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TO THE MAIN TOWN OF BUNIA WHERE HE WAS DUE TO BE INTERROGATED. KAINA WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT OF CONGO (MRC), A LOOSE COALITION OF MILITIA GROUPS WHICH JOINED FORCES IN NEIGHBOURING UGANDA LAST YEAR TO TRY TO PREVENT THE RETURN OF STATE AUTHORITY TO CONGO'S ITURI. "FOR US IT IS A REALLY GOOD HIT ON THE MRC MILITIA AND WE HOPE THAT IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST ONE," HANS-JAKOB REICHEN, MILITARY SPOKESMAN FOR U.N. FORCES IN EASTERN CONGO, TOLD REUTERS BY TELEPHONE. "WE HAVE EVACUATED HIM BY HELICOPTER BACK TO BUNIA WHERE HE WILL BE TREATED AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HIM UNDER OUR CUSTODY TO BE ABLE TO QUESTION HIM ON HIS ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST AND RECENT PAST IN ITURI," HE SAID. A U.N. SOURCE SAID "INDIA QUEEN" WAS DUE TO UNDERGO SURGERY FOR WOUNDS ON HIS TESTICLES AND BACKSIDE FOLLOWING HIS CAPTURE. VIOLENCE HAS CONTINUED IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO'S MINERAL-RICH EAST DESPITE PEACE DEALS TO END A DECADE OF WARS AND PAVE THE WAY FOR LONG-DELAYED ELECTIONS DUE ON JULY 30. SEVERAL FOREIGN AND LOCAL REBEL GROUPS, INCLUDING THE MRC, CONTINUE TO PLUNDER NATURAL RESOURCES AND ATTACK CIVILIANS IN THE EAST, COMPLICATING PREPARATIONS FOR THE POLLS. THE UNITED NATIONS HAS NEARLY 17,000 SOLDIERS IN CONGO, MAKING IT THE WORLD BODY'S LARGEST MISSION, BUT THEY ARE THINLY STRETCHED ACROSS A COUNTRY ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF WESTERN EUROPE. THE MISSION WAS GIVEN A BOOST LAST WEEK WHEN THE LEADER OF THE MAI MAI MILITIA, KNOWN AS COMMANDER GEDEON, BASED IN THE KATANGA PROVINCE IN THE SOUTHEAST, GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR DISARMAMENT ALONG WITH 150 MOSTLY CHILD FIGHTERS.
