DRC joins Tshiwewe and Numbi trial as civil party

The Democratic Republic of Congo has formally registered as a civil party in the legal proceedings brought by the Auditor General of the Armed Forces (FARDC) against army generals John Numbi, former FARDC Inspector General, and Christian Tshiwewe, former FARDC Chief of Staff and former military advisor to President Félix Tshisekedi, along with seven other senior officers and Pascal Nyembo.

The announcement was made by a team of lawyers during the hearing on Thursday, 25 June 2026, before the High Military Court of the DRC. The session lasted only a few minutes and included the integration of Lieutenant General Constant Ndima, former military governor of North Kivu, as a judge assessor.

Speaking to the press after the hearing, one of the lawyers, Maître Jean Mupira of the Kinshasa/Gombe bar, refrained from giving details. However, he indicated that in due course, as the trial progresses, the public will be informed about the reasons that led the DRC to become a civil party in this matter.

“It is legitimate for the Democratic Republic of Congo to join as a civil party 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 stated on behalf of the collective before the High Military Court.

In this trial, the defendants are required to answer to several particularly serious charges, including: conspiracy, treason, apology of 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 adjournment was due to state reasons related to the unavailability of certain panel members. The postponement also aims to allow the various defense teams to file their memoranda. The case was therefore 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 proceed with the identification of the various defendants. Several of them were present and assisted by their lawyers. 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).

However, Army General John Numbi, former FARDC Inspector General, Pascal Nyembo Muyumba, former Director General of 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 therefore requested that default be entered against them. According to Lieutenant General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, FARDC Auditor General, this step is justified under Articles 326 and 327 of the Congolese Military Judicial Code, as the accused are fugitives.

This new trial adds to the growing list of cases involving high-ranking FARDC generals and officers, in a context marked by the war of aggression waged by Rwanda through the AFC/M23 rebellion, supported by Kigali in eastern DRC. Among the charges typically found in such cases are conspiracy, treason, execution of illegal orders, and the performance of acts or instructions contrary to the law in the exercise of their functions.