Trial of former Congolese rebel leader Lumbala over wartime atrocities opens in Paris

The proceedings of Congolese rebel person Roger Lumbala has begun successful Paris implicit atrocities committed during the Second Congo War

DAKAR, Senegal -- The proceedings of Congolese rebel person Roger Lumbala began Wednesday successful Paris implicit atrocities committed 2 decades agone during the Second Congo War.

Lumbala has been charged with “criminal conspiracy to hole crimes against humanity” and “complicity of crimes against humanity” during the struggle from 1998 to 2003.

Lumbala faces a imaginable condemnation of beingness successful prison. A verdict is expected Dec. 19 pursuing the proceedings astatine the Paris transgression court.

The 67-year-old led the Congolese Rally for National Democracy, a rebel radical backed by neighboring Uganda and accused of atrocities against civilians, peculiarly targeting the Nande and Bambuti taste minorities successful eastbound Congo successful 2002 and 2003.

The radical committed wide torture, executions, rape, forced labour and intersexual slavery, according to United Nations reports.

After the war, Lumbala served arsenic curate of overseas commercialized successful Congo’s transitional authorities from 2003 to 2005 and aboriginal arsenic a subordinate of parliament. The Congolese authorities issued an apprehension warrant successful 2011 implicit his alleged enactment of the M23 rebel group, prompting him to fly to France.

Lumbala was arrested successful Paris successful 2020 and indicted by a French tribunal successful 2023.

The proceedings is imaginable nether a French instrumentality recognizing cosmopolitan jurisdiction for crimes against humanity. His lawsuit marks the archetypal clip a Congolese governmental oregon subject person has been tried for wide atrocities earlier a nationalist tribunal nether the cosmopolitan jurisdiction principle.

Several groups representing civilian parties including the Clooney Foundation for Justice, TRIAL International, Minority Rights Group, Justice Plus and PAP-RDC issued a associated connection past period praising what they called a “historic trial.”

“For excessively long, perpetrators person escaped justice, immoderate adjacent rising to positions of power,” said Daniele Perissi, caput of Congo's programme astatine TRIAL International. “This proceedings is simply a historical measurement successful breaking that rhythm of impunity."

Congo has been wracked by deadly struggle successful its mineral-rich eastbound since the 1990s with much than 100 progressive equipped groups. The struggle escalated earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile the M23 rebel radical seized 2 cardinal cities with the assistance of neighboring Rwandan forces.

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Sylvie Corbet successful Paris contributed to this report.

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