Roger Lumbala was found guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity on Monday, December 15. The Congolese politician, tried for crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the early 2000s, was sentenced to thirty years in prison. The civil parties hailed the decision as historic. This final hearing was also marked by the presence of Roger Lumbala and his court-appointed lawyer, Maître Vigier, who was appearing in the courtroom for the first time.

At 5:00 PM, all hands on deck at the courthouse. For the first time in five weeks, the court-appointed lawyer takes his seat on the bench that had remained empty throughout the trial. Roger Lumbala arrives, flanked by two police officers. He exchanges a few words with Maître Vigier. The presiding judge, meanwhile, reads the verdict, delivered by the jury at 5:30 PM.

The former warlord turned politician was sentenced to thirty years in prison. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity.

The president cites at least thirty victims and acknowledges the responsibility of Roger Lumbala, guilty by aiding or abetting acts of rape constituting torture, guilty by aiding or abetting enslavement, guilty by aiding or abetting forced labor, guilty by aiding or abetting the existence of a criminal agreement.

Roger Lumbala remains standing, silent, listening. None of the jurors look at him. He has ten days to appeal the decision.

NGOs hail a "historic" verdict

The victims' reactions were swift. "It's truly a feeling of joy and, for me, also a psychological healing," one of them stated following the verdict. "My father was gunned down like an animal [by Roger Lumbala's men]. Since then, I've constantly wondered if the people who did this are human beings like us, but now I know that there are no 'supermen' and that everyone is accountable before the law. This sends a strong message to other warlords who continue to sow terror in our country," she continued.

"A verdict like this, concerning events that date back 23 years, is a great satisfaction," commented another victim in unison, recalling: "At the time, [Roger Lumbala's group] robbed me of everything I had and injured my right forearm. And after that, they took my maternal uncle to execute him."

The 30-year prison sentence handed down to Roger Lumbala in Paris is "historic" and "puts an end to decades of impunity" for perpetrators of crimes during the incessant conflicts in the DRC, the civil party NGOs welcomed.

Five Congolese human rights organizations (Justice Plus and Pap-RDC) and international organizations (Minority Rights Group, TRIAL International and the Clooney Foundation for Justice) also note that this verdict comes "at a time when violence" continues in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, "despite the recent Washington agreements" between warring parties.

Human rights organizations hope that this verdict will undermine the sense of impunity of belligerents who, for 30 years, have been waging war in eastern DRC, with the involvement of neighboring countries such as Rwanda or Uganda, and with the main objective of controlling mineral and natural resources.

These wars, whose toll is impossible to establish, have left millions dead and displaced. At the time of the Lumbala verdict, the "peace" agreement endorsed in early December in Washington remained a dead letter, and the region continued to be the scene of clashes between the M23, a group supported by Kigali, and the Congolese army, backed by Burundian forces.

Three warlords, Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga, and Bosco Ntaganda, were indeed convicted between 2012 and 2021 by the International Criminal Court. However, NGOs point out that no national court of any country claiming universal jurisdiction has yet convicted anyone for atrocities committed in eastern DRC.