US EditionTrial of Former Congolese Rebel Leader Lumbala over Wartime Atrocities Opens in Paris
Roger Lumbala Tshitenga faces charges for crimes during the Second Congo War, marking the first universal jurisdiction trial for DRC war crimes by a former minister.
- In Paris, on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, Roger Lumbala Tshitenga faces trial for alleged crimes in North Kivu and Ituri between 2002 and 2003, after his 2020 arrest and 2023 indictment under universal jurisdiction.
- Faced with domestic gaps, the Democratic Republic of Congo's failure to investigate prompted French authorities to prosecute under the universal jurisdiction principle, marking the first such trial for Congo crimes by a Congolese national.
- During Operation 'Effacer le Tableau', Lumbala is accused of involvement in killings, torture, rape, and cannibalism against civilians including the Mbuti and Nande in Beni, Ituri.
- Survivors, who waited more than two decades, see the trial as a crucial step for justice and a rare case against a former minister, Amnesty International said.
- The case invites other states applying universal jurisdiction to investigate, as governments and justice institutions should strengthen efforts amid the Congo conflict spanning over 30 years.
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The former Congolese Militian leader, charged with "abetting crimes against humanity", challenges the competence of the French justice system to try him.
Trial of former Congolese rebel leader Lumbala over wartime atrocities opens in Paris
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The trial of Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala began Wednesday in Paris over atrocities committed two decades ago during the Second Congo War. Lumbala has been charged with “criminal conspiracy to prepare crimes against humanity” and “complicity of crimes against humanity” during the conflict from 1998 to 2003. Lumbala faces a possible sentence of life in prison. A verdict is expected Dec. 19 following the trial at the P…
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DR Congo ex-rebel leader Lumbala's war crimes trial opens in Paris
Former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala goes on trial in Paris Wednesday over atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's bloody eastern conflict more than two decades ago.
For the first time, a Congolese national is tried in France before the Paris Assize Court for crimes committed in 2002 and 2003 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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