Congo begins hearing against 6 rebels in insecure east

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BENI, Congo (AP) — Hundreds of people attended the start of a hearing against six suspected rebels captured in eastern Congo after the killings of dozens of people in recent months.

A Tanzanian, two Ugandans and three Congolese were brought before a court in Beni on Saturday. The North Kivu provincial court president, Jean-Paulin Esosa, said this was a first and last resort. After three hours the hearing was postponed until Monday.

Three of the men were detained in July, and three others after an August attack in Rwangoma that killed more than 50 people. Those killings have led to street protests against ongoing violence in Congo's insecure east.

The Allied Democratic Forces rebel group, among scores of armed groups present in the region for decades, has been accused of killing more than 500 people since October 2014.