Eastern Congo has experienced endless cycles of violence for over a decade.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrested a former presidential candidate for allegedly trying to foment rebellion in the troubled east of the African nation.

The government issued a statement on Tuesday saying that Firmin Yangabi was arrested last Wednesday by military police.

Yangabi, a human rights activist and a candidate in Congo's 2006 presidential election, was detained as he tried to organize an arms shipment from the capital Kinshasa to the eastern town of Kisangani, according to the statement.

Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende has defended the arrest, saying Yangabi was moving a shipment of weapons with the aim of fomenting rebellion in eastern Congo, VOA reported.

Mende says human rights groups are using wordy phraseology to cover up their criminal activities.

North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Congo have experienced interminable cycles of violence since the war began in 1998.

The conflict in the Congo has dragged on for over a decade and left over 5.4 million people dead.

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