The Democratic Republic of the Congo has formally joined as a civil party in the case brought by the Auditor General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) against army generals John Numbi, former FARDC Inspector General, and Christian Tshiwewe, former FARDC Chief of General Staff and former military advisor to President Félix Tshisekedi, as well as seven other senior officers and Pascal Nyembo.
A collective of lawyers made the announcement during the hearing held on Thursday, 25 June 2026 before the High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The session lasted only a few minutes and was marked by the inclusion of Lieutenant General Constant Ndima, former military governor of North Kivu, as a judge in the panel.
Speaking to the press after the hearing, one of the collective’s members, Maître Jean Mupira, a lawyer at the Kinshasa/Gombe bar, declined to go into details. However, he indicated that when the time comes and as the trial evolves, the public will be informed about the reasons that led the Democratic Republic of the Congo to join as a civil party in this matter.
“It is legally sound for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to join as a civil party in order to demonstrate the extent of the harm suffered and to seek the conviction of the accused to pay damages proportional to the damage caused,” the lawyer said on behalf of the collective before the High Military Court of the DRC.
In this trial, the accused must answer to several particularly serious charges, including: conspiracy, treason, apology for terrorism, spreading false rumors, violation of orders, desertion abroad, illegal possession of weapons and war munitions, and inciting soldiers to commit acts contrary to duty and discipline.
This second hearing ultimately lasted only a few minutes. According to the First President of the High Military Court, Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalay Tiende, the postponement of the case is motivated by state reasons related to the unavailability of some panel members. This adjournment is also intended to allow the various defense collectives to file their clients’ briefs. The case has therefore been adjourned to 9 July 2026, the date set for the next hearing.
The first hearing, also presided over by the First President of the High Military Court, Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalay Tiende, allowed the military court to identify the various accused. Several of them were present and assisted by their counsel. These include: Army General Christian Tshiwewe Songesa; Army General John Numbi Banza Ntambo (at large); Major General Maurice Nyembo Kufi; Brigadier General Chinyabuuma Kamukinde; Brigadier General Ngoy wa Kabila John; Brigadier General Sangwa Muhemedi John; Colonel Mukombozi Zahinda Guy; Colonel Sangwa Lumbu Pathy; Colonel Tshinabo Kenge Christophe (at large); and Pascal Nyembo Muyumba (at large), former Director General of the Centre for Expertise, Evaluation and Certification of Precious and Semi-Precious Mineral Substances (CEEC).
In contrast, Army General John Numbi, former FARDC Inspector General, Pascal Nyembo Muyumba, former Director General of the CEEC, and Colonel Tshinabo Kenge Christophe were not present at the opening of the hearing before the High Military Court and are considered to be at large. The FARDC Auditor General had therefore requested that default be noted against them. According to Lieutenant General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, FARDC Auditor General, this approach is justified under Articles 326 and 327 of the Congolese Military Judicial Code, as the accused concerned are at large.
This new trial adds to the list of legal cases involving senior FARDC officers and generals, against a backdrop of the war of aggression waged by Rwanda through the AFC/M23 rebellion, supported by Kigali in eastern DRC. Among the charges typically brought in such cases are conspiracy, treason, execution of illegal orders, and carrying out acts or instructions contrary to the law in the exercise of their duties.
