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The trial of Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbula began in Paris on Wednesday over atrocities committed during the second Congo war two decades ago.
Lumbala has been charged with “criminal conspiracy to prepare crimes against humanity” and “complicity in crimes against humanity” during the conflict from 1998 to 2003.
Lumbala faces life imprisonment. A verdict is expected on December 19 following a trial at the Paris Criminal Court.
The 67-year-old led the Congo Rally for National Democracy, a rebel group backed by neighboring uganda and accused of atrocities against civilians in eastern Congo in 2002 and 2003, particularly targeting the Nande and Bambuti ethnic minorities.
According to the report, the group carried out mass torture, executions, rape, forced labor, and sexual slavery. united nations Report.
After the war, Lumbula served in the Congolese transitional government from 2003 to 2005 as Minister of Foreign Trade and later as a Member of Parliament. He had to flee after the Congolese government issued an arrest warrant in 2011 for his alleged support of the M23 rebel group. France,
Lumbala was arrested in Paris in 2020 and convicted by a French Court in 2023.
Prosecution is possible under French law recognizing universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity. His case is the first time a Congolese political or military leader has been tried for mass atrocities before a national court under the universal jurisdiction principle.
Several groups representing civil parties, including the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Trial International, Minority Rights Group, Justice Plus and the PAP-RDC, issued a joint statement last month praising what they called a “historic trial.”
“For too long, criminals have escaped justice, with some even reaching positions of power,” said Daniel Parisi, head of the Congo program at Trial International. “This trial is a historic step toward breaking that cycle of impunity.”
Congo has been ravaged by deadly conflict with more than 100 armed groups active in its mineral-rich east since the 1990s. The conflict escalated earlier this year when the M23 rebel group captured two major cities with the help of neighboring Rwandan forces.
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Sylvie Courbet in Paris contributed to this report.