Roger Lumbala, a former Congolese rebel commander and politician, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a French court on Monday after being found guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity committed during the Second Congo War over two decades ago.
According to BBC, the Paris court concluded that Lumbala, 67, either ordered or assisted acts including torture, summary executions, sexual violence, sexual slavery, forced labour, and large-scale looting while leading a Ugandan-backed rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The presiding judge stated that Lumbala bore responsibility for “inhumane acts committed as part of a systematic campaign against civilian populations,” particularly during a brutal operation dubbed “Erase the Slate.”
Lumbala had led the Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N) during the conflict, which prosecutors said targeted the Nande and Bambuti ethnic communities in Ituri and North Kivu provinces between 2002 and 2003. A United Nations investigation later described the campaign as involving “premeditated operations using looting, rape, and summary execution as tools of warfare.”
Although Lumbala was present to hear the verdict, he did not attend the trial itself, which began last month, and has repeatedly rejected the authority of the French court. He was arrested in France nearly five years ago after fleeing DRC, where he faced a warrant accusing him of supporting the M23 rebel group in the country’s east.
Previously, Lumbala served as a minister in DRC’s transitional government from 2003 to 2005 and later as a member of parliament. The case was prosecuted under France’s principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows its courts to try crimes against humanity committed abroad.
Five NGOs, including Trial International and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, assisted the prosecution by coordinating testimonies, supporting survivors, and providing expert analysis. A total of 65 survivors, witnesses, and experts testified during the proceedings.
In a statement following the ruling, two survivors, David Karamay Kasereka and Pisco Sirikivuya Paluku, described the verdict as long-overdue recognition of their suffering. “For years, no one heard us,” they said. “We would have preferred to face Roger Lumbala directly, but this judgment is a first step toward reclaiming what was taken from us.”
During the trial, Kasereka, now 41, recounted how his father and neighbours were tortured and killed by Lumbala’s forces. Paluku, a 50-year-old nurse, testified that rebels robbed and injured him, murdered his uncle, and raped a friend’s wife. “We hope this will serve as a warning to those who continue to harm the people of Congo, especially in Ituri,” Paluku told Reuters.
Lumbala’s lawyers have 10 days to appeal the sentence, which prosecutors had requested to be life imprisonment. Human rights groups welcomed the ruling as a landmark moment for accountability regarding atrocities committed during the Second Congo War (1998–2003), a conflict involving nine African nations and multiple armed groups that claimed an estimated two to five million lives.
Daniele Perissi of Trial International described the decision as historic, saying, “For the first time, a national court has dared to confront the crimes of the Second Congo War and demonstrate that justice can prevail even after decades of impunity.”
Eastern DRC, rich in minerals, has faced over 30 years of violence despite repeated peace agreements. While other militia leaders, such as Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga, and Bosco Ntaganda, have been convicted by the International Criminal Court, Lumbala’s sentence underscores that international justice can still reach those who long remained shielded by power and time.
