Nathanaël Onokomba transferred to Makala prison after military tribunal disavows case

Congolese opposition figure Nathanaël Onokomba Shako, detained for more than six months on accusations of “apology of terrorism” and denying war crimes in eastern DR Congo, was moved on 29 July from the military prison of Ndolo to the central penitentiary of Makala. His lawyers, led by Godefroid Mwanabwato, had earlier criticised the military court of Kinshasa/Gombe for declaring itself incompetent and forwarding the dossier to the higher military auditor, while demanding his immediate release. The transfer places Onokomba under the jurisdiction of civil courts after the military authorities renounced jurisdiction, despite an earlier acquittal on 26 June.

The case has drawn attention to the handling of political detainees in the DRC, with advocates arguing that no procedural act justifies his continued confinement. Onokomba, a native of Tshangu district, was originally arrested in December following a conference in Ngaliema and spent time in a cyber‑defense detention cell before his incarceration at Ndolo.