ONE of at least 20 foreigners being held captive by a Mai Mai tribal militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has warned that the use of force to secure their release would endanger their lives, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. The New York-based advocacy group said in statement it had listened to a recorded telephone message from Swedish hostage Bjoern Rugsten, appealing to the international community for help. “Please don’t consider the use of force as an option to free us. This will put out lives in danger,” Rugsten said, according to HRW. The Swede, a truck supplier for Dara Forest, a Thai-Ugandan logging company based in northeastern DRC, is among a group abducted by the Mai Mai militia on May 15 from the firm’s compound near the town of Mangina. HRW said the group comprises 24 Thais, a Kenyan and Rugsten. Ugandan security services say, however, 19 Thais, one Kenyan, an American and a Swiss national had been seized. The Mai Mai are opposed to the presence in DRC of Rwandan and Ugandan troops who are fighting alongside rebels waging war against the government in Kinshasa. – AFP