C64 coalition files complaint against Congolese officials over protest violence

The Coalition Article 64 (C64) has filed a collective legal complaint with the Auditor General at the High Military Court in Kinshasa following violent incidents during a march on September 15. The complaint targets several high-ranking political, administrative, and security officials.

Named individuals include Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani, Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki, Provincial Interior Minister Jeannot Canon Larose, and UDPS/Tshisekedi Secretary General Augustin Kabuya. Security officials such as Police Commissioner Israel Kantu Bakulu and Joël Mpaba, identified as an operations leader for the ‘Force du Progrès’, are also implicated.

The legal action cites 22 grievances, including voluntary homicide, attempted murder, torture, arbitrary arrests, and the use of illegal weapons. The plaintiffs allege that protesters were attacked in the Limete district by individuals linked to the ‘Force du Progrès’ using machetes, stones, and iron bars, and that military and police forces either participated in or facilitated these attacks.