In a landmark ruling that reinforces the global pursuit of accountability for wartime atrocities, a French court has sentenced former Congolese rebel leader and politician Roger Lumbala to 30 years in prison for complicity in crimes against humanity committed more than two decades ago during the devastating Second Congo War.
Lumbala, 67, once headed the Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N) — a rebel movement backed by neighboring Uganda — which operated in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the early 2000s. Judges found that he ordered, facilitated, or aided and abetted acts of torture, inhumane treatment, summary executions, rape constituting torture, sexual slavery, forced labor, and large-scale theft during a violent military campaign between 2002 and 2003.
Although Lumbala was present in court to hear the verdict on Monday, he refused to participate in the proceedings and has consistently rejected the legitimacy of the Paris court. Arrested in France nearly five years ago, he had been living there after fleeing Congo following an arrest warrant issued by Congolese authorities over alleged links to the M23 rebel group, which remains active in eastern DRC.
A War That Scarred a Nation
The Second Congo War, often described as Africa’s deadliest conflict, lasted from 1998 to 2003 and involved nine countries and dozens of armed factions. It is estimated to have claimed between two and five million lives, largely due to violence, disease, and displacement. Eastern Congo, rich in valuable minerals essential for global electronics supply chains, has remained unstable ever since, despite multiple peace agreements.
During the conflict, Lumbala’s RCD-N allegedly carried out a campaign known as “Erase the Slate,” targeting members of the Nande and Bambuti ethnic groups in the northeastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. The communities were accused of supporting rival militias.
A United Nations investigation later described the operation as a series of “premeditated operations using looting, rape and summary execution as tools of warfare.” Villages were razed, civilians terrorized, and survivors left traumatized for decades.
Survivors Find a Voice in Paris
The case was prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to try individuals for crimes against humanity regardless of where the crimes occurred. Five non-governmental organizations, including Trial International and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, supported the prosecution by assisting survivors, gathering evidence, and coordinating expert testimony.
According to Trial International, 65 survivors, witnesses, and experts testified during the trial, providing firsthand accounts of brutality and long-lasting harm.
Two survivors, David Karamay Kasereka and Pisco Sirikivuya Paluku, welcomed the verdict as a long-overdue step toward justice. “We were scared but came all the way here because the truth matters. For years, no one heard us,” they said in a joint statement. “We would have preferred to face Roger Lumbala, to look him in the eyes. But this verdict marks a first step toward reclaiming pieces of ourselves that were taken from us.”
Kasereka recounted how his father and neighbors were tortured and killed by rebel fighters. Paluku, now a nurse, described being robbed and injured, losing his uncle, and witnessing sexual violence against civilians. “We hope this serves as a lesson to those who continue to bring grief to the people of Congo,” he told reporters.
Legal Reactions and Broader Impact
Lumbala’s defense team, which has 10 days to file an appeal, called the sentence excessive, noting that prosecutors had initially sought a life sentence. Human rights groups, however, hailed the verdict as a historic breakthrough.
“This verdict is historic,” said Daniele Perissi of Trial International. “For the first time, a national court has dared to confront the atrocities of the Second Congo War and show that justice can break through even after decades of impunity.”
The ruling also adds to a growing body of international accountability efforts related to Congo’s long-running conflict. Several militia leaders, including Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga, and Bosco Ntaganda, have previously been convicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in eastern Congo.
A Signal Beyond Borders
Legal experts say the case sends a powerful message that alleged perpetrators of mass atrocities cannot rely on geographical distance or political status to escape justice. As conflicts continue to destabilize parts of the DRC, the verdict underscores the role of international cooperation, survivor advocacy, and judicial persistence in confronting historic crimes.
For survivors who waited decades to be heard, the sentence represents not only punishment, but recognition — an affirmation that their suffering mattered, and that accountability, even delayed, remains possible.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}