[JURIST] Democratic Republic of Congo [BBC News country profile] leaders on Tuesday announced that several senior militia leaders had been arrested, with other reports indicating that top leader Thomas Lubanga was among them. The leaders were arrested on Saturday, although no report was made until today. Efforts to halt militia violence has been stepped up in the past month after nine Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers were killed, leading to the arrest [JURIST report] of another prominent militia leader. Hema and Lendu militias have been vying for control of the northern Ituri province, with more than 50,000 people being killed in the conflict since 1999. The UN has given militia members until the end of the month to give up their arms, with 500 voluntarily agreeing [UN News Centre report] to do so. The UN Mission in the DRC has more on events in the region. BBC News has more.