Former DR Congo Warlord Stands Trial in Paris for War Crimes
PARIS – In a landmark case for international justice, former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala went on trial in Paris on Tuesday, facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Second Congo War.
The trial marks the first time a national court outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has prosecuted an individual for the mass atrocities perpetrated against civilians in that conflict, which lasted from 1998 to 2003 and left millions dead.
Lumbala, the leader of the Uganda-backed Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N), is accused of being a warlord who allowed his fighters to operate with impunity. According to French investigating magistrates, his troops engaged in a brutal campaign of pillage, execution, rape, and mutilation against civilians.
The specific charges against him include murder, torture, and gender-based violence, relating to atrocities alleged to have occurred more than two decades ago.
The case in Paris is being pursued under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of the most severe international crimes regardless of where they were committed. If convicted, Lumbala could face a sentence of life in prison.
His trial is being closely watched by human rights groups and survivors of the conflict, who see it as a crucial step toward accountability for one of the bloodiest wars in modern African history.
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