The former head of a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to be tried in France on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity.
An investigating judge reportedly ordered the trial of 65-year-old Roger Lumbala, who has been detained in France since his arrest at the end of 2020, on Monday.
Lumbala is a former opposition lawmaker who led the RCD-N party, an armed group suspected by UN investigators of carrying out extrajudicial killings, rapes and cannibalism during the country's civil war from 1998-2002.
The charges concern his actions in 2002 in the north-eastern Ituri region predominantly against the Nande and Twa ethnic groups, prosecutors said at the time of his arrest.
A United Nations report published in 2003 first pointed the finger at Lumbala, who became a minister in the DRC's transitional government between 2004 and 2005.
Lumbala, who rejects the allegations, was arrested following a police investigation launched in December 2016 and the French judiciary has the right to arrest and prosecute suspects in crimes against humanity cases committed abroad.
In a historic step towards justice for crimes against humanity, the French investigative judge has indicted former Congolese warlord Roger Lumbala Tshitenga for his alleged complicity in crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, or other inhumane acts. pic.twitter.com/npDsJd2pta
— Minority Rights Group International (@MinorityRights) November 8, 2023
Human rights groups welcome the news
In a joint statement, the Clooney Foundation for Justice, TRIAL International, Minority Rights Group and Justice Plus said that "this indictment means that there is sufficient evidence to try Roger Lumbala for complicity in crimes against humanity and conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity."
The NGOs say the trial will probably be held in Paris in 2025.
The fact that Lumbala was a long-time resident in France meant the French justice system had grounds to investigate the crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Xavier Macky, director of Justice Plus, "Lumbala's trial in France represents the first glimmer of hope for Congolese victims of the Second Congo War who have been waiting for justice for over two decades."
