International court prosecutor to probe crimes in eastern Congo following government request

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is opening a preliminary probe in Congo. The decision announced Thursday comes after the African nation asked prosecutors to investigate alleged crimes in its North Kivu province since January last year. The request marks the second time Congo authorities have sought an investigation by the global war crimes court. Congo, a member state of the court, first requested a probe in 2004 into crimes since 2002. That led to three convictions of rebel leaders involved in the long-running armed conflict in the mineral-rich nation. Prosecutor Karim Khan says Congo’s new request asks prosecutors to “investigate particular armed forces and groups” allegedly responsible for crimes in the eastern province of North Kivu.