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Former Congolese warlord sentenced to 30 years in France
A Paris court convicted Roger Lumbala on Monday of complicity in atrocities committed during the Democratic Republic of Congo's brutal Second Congo War, handing down a 30-year prison term.
Charges and verdict
The 67-year-old former rebel commander was found guilty of ordering or facilitating torture, summary executions, rape, sexual slavery, forced labor, and large-scale theft. Judges ruled that Lumbala's forces carried out these crimes as part of the 2002-2003 "Erase the Slate" campaign in northeastern Congo.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, but Lumbala's defense team called the 30-year term excessive and has 10 days to appeal.
Defiance and absence
Lumbala, arrested in France nearly five years ago, refused to recognize the court's authority. Though present for the verdict, he skipped the trial that began last month. He previously served as a minister in Congo's transitional government (2003-2005) and later as a lawmaker before fleeing to France after an arrest warrant linked him to the M23 rebel group.
Survivors' testimony
Sixty-five witnesses, including survivors and experts, testified about the "Erase the Slate" operation, which targeted Nande and Bambuti ethnic groups in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. A UN investigation described the campaign as systematic, using rape, looting, and executions as weapons of war.
"We were scared but came all the way here because the truth matters. For years, no one heard us," said survivors David Karamay Kasereka and Pisco Sirikivuya Paluku in a joint statement.
"We would have preferred to face Roger Lumbala, to look him in the eyes. But this verdict marks a first step toward reclaiming pieces of ourselves that were taken from us."
Kasereka, 41, recounted how Lumbala's fighters tortured and killed his father and neighbors. Paluku, a 50-year-old nurse, described rebels robbing him, murdering his uncle, and raping his friend's wife.
Universal jurisdiction and impact
The case was prosecuted under France's universal jurisdiction laws, which allow trials for crimes against humanity committed abroad. Five NGOs, including Trial International and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, supported the proceedings by aiding survivors and commissioning expert analyses.
Human rights groups hailed the verdict as a breakthrough for accountability in Congo's decades-long conflict, which has killed an estimated 2-5 million people since 1998.
"This verdict is historic. For the first time, a national court has dared to confront the atrocities of the Second Congo War and show that justice can break through even after decades of impunity," said Daniele Perissi of Trial International.
Broader context
Eastern Congo, rich in minerals, has been plagued by violence since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Multiple peace deals have collapsed, and other militia leaders-such as Thomas Lubanga and Bosco Ntaganda-have been convicted by the International Criminal Court for similar abuses.
