In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 140 people appear before the military prosecutor’s office of the Goma garrison, in North Kivu. These people are mostly followers of a mystical-religious sect who had announced a demonstration to demand the departure of Monusco (UN mission in the country), the East African Force and international NGOs in North Kivu. They are prosecuted for criminal association and participation in an insurrectionary movement.
2 mins
With our special correspondent in Goma, William Basimike
They are between 16 and 50 years old, but the majority of the defendants are young men and women. Their list mentions, at the top, the name of Pastor Ephraim Bisimwa, in his forties, leader of the sect called Judaic and Messianic Natural Faith towards the Nations, nicknamed the Wazalendo (“Patriots” in Kiswahili).
A member of the collective of defense lawyers who requested anonymity recalled that the departure of Monusco is the concern of all the Congolese people, a withdrawal mentioned by former President Joseph Kabila and his successor Félix Tshisekedi .
” We will prove that these young people are neither drug addicts nor troublemakers “, assured this lawyer. He also hopes that the public prosecutor will be able to enlighten public opinion on the bloody repression against the sect, since well before the demonstration last Wednesday.
In a video shared some time after the crackdown, the spokesperson for the North Kivu provincial government said these young people are “ manipulated, drugged and bought with banknotes to sow insecurity “.
According to judicial sources, this trial is a first step while investigations are still underway to identify responsibilities, nearly a week after the Goma massacre.
This Tuesday, September 5, the court hopes to close the phase of identification of the defendants and, if possible, to begin the merits of the case.
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