3 Jul 2002

Former rebel commander killed on Bougainville

1:32 pm on 3 July 2002

A rebel leader on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville has been shot dead by a relative.

David Devito, who had been a vocal supporter of Francis Ona's Republic of Mekemui, and also a former commander in the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, was shot by his nephew with his own M16 machine gun at his home in Manetai.

The provincial police commander, Superintendent Joseph Bemu says those involved in the killing had also ransacked Mr Devito's house and stolen a lot of guns that had been stored there.