The former governor of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and two other senior military officers are under investigation for possible crimes against humanity during the crackdown on demonstrations in the city of Goma, which resulted in the unlawful killing of at least 56 people and the unlawful killing of more than 80 people. kill.
The report stated, Operation Koba: Army massacre in Goma, Democratic Republic of CongoDetails were given of how security forces went on a killing spree and opened fire on protesters who called for the withdrawal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Most of the protesters were followers of the religious and political group Natural Messianic Jewish Faith Against the Nation (FNJMN), which calls its followers “Wazalendo.”
Amnesty International reconstructed the location, timing and sequence of the massacre and identified three officers who should be investigated individually for possible crimes against humanity and prosecuted where the evidence is sufficient. These people are Lieutenant General Constant Ndima Komba, the former governor of the North Kivu Army; Colonel Mike Kalamba Mikombe, commander of the North Kivu Republican Guard Combined Arms Brigade (BIA) ; Major Peter Kabwe Ngandu is the Commander of the Special Forces Battalion of the Republican Guard in Goma, serving under Colonel Mikombe.
“This massacre was not, as the authorities claimed, the result of a mistake caused by the unexpected intervention of a few soldiers after Wazalendo followers threw stones at a policeman. It was the result of a ban by the Congolese authorities at the explicit request of MONUSCO The result of a series of thoughtful and planned actions in the aftermath of the protests,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
The massacre was the result of a series of deliberate, planned actions by the Congolese authorities after MONUSCO explicitly requested that the protests be banned.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
“President Felix Tshisekedi must immediately suspend the military qualifications of Lieutenant General Constance Ndima Komba and Major Peter Kabwe Ngandu pending investigations into their convictions in connection with the killings Colonel Mike Kalamba Micombe should also be further investigated for his other alleged crimes and prosecuted if there is sufficient evidence against him.
“Furthermore, Amnesty International calls on the United Nations Department of Peace Operations to quickly launch an independent investigation into the role of MONUSCO, including its leadership, and make its findings public.”
Operation “COBA”
Amnesty International conducted the research between September 2023 and October 2024. Confidential official documents. Amnesty International’s Evidence Lab also verified dozens of films and photographs of the massacre, as well as satellite images, to corroborate the findings.
On August 19, 2023, Wazalendo leader Efraimu Bisimwa wrote to the mayor of Goma giving formal notice of the planned protest, as required by Congolese law. He said the protests were demanding the withdrawal of MONUSCO and other foreign troops.
On August 21, MONUSCO’s Goma office wrote to Military Governor Ndima expressing concern about the planned protests and urging authorities to ban them outright “given their hateful and violent nature.” Amnesty International reviewed most FNJMN statements and messages up to 30 August 2023 and found no evidence of incitement to violence.
Four days after MONUSCO’s request, Ndima informed the army and police that Wazalendo posed a serious threat to Goma and instructed them to “take all measures” to protect MONUSCO installations and the city.
Amnesty International obtained a subsequent action plan drawn up by police and army commanders in North Kivu, which explicitly instructed Colonel Mikombe’s BIA to “eliminate isolated enemy elements” on 30 August. These troops would become the core of the massacre.
killing spree
The violence began around 3 a.m. on August 30, 2023, the day the protest was planned. A commando apparently led by Major Kabwe, commander of Goma’s special forces, raided an FNJMN radio station in a residential area northwest of Goma. Soldiers tied up 12 people, including Wazarundo leader Bisimwa, took them outside and shot them, killing six people including 44-year-old journalist Tabita Fabiola , and injuring at least 10 people.
Meanwhile, two blocks away, a police patrol opened fire on other Vazarendo followers heading to the radio station, killing at least one person and injuring several others, witnesses said. Some Wazarundos captured a policeman and took him to a temple about two kilometers away.
At around 6 a.m., police opened fire on a group of Wazarundo followers leaving the temple, killing Uwezo Milele, the son of Wazarundo leader Bisimwa. Following the incident, a group of Wazarundo followers threw stones at the captured policemen. Soon, hundreds of Wazarundo devotees gathered outside the temple in protest.
At 7 a.m., heavily armed Congolese soldiers, mainly from the Republican Guard special forces, deployed in large numbers around the temple. Amnesty International research and two Congolese military tests confirmed that the protesters were unarmed.
For thirty minutes, two officers tried to dissuade the Wazaren people from marching. Suddenly, BIA Colonel Micombe intervened and interrupted the meeting. According to five witnesses, including two military officers, Micombe ordered the soldiers to open fire.
Dozens of people died in the ensuing massacre. Images verified by Amnesty International showed crowds and soldiers collecting, dragging and loading bodies into military trucks, where gunfire may have occurred. In the hours after the shooting stopped, witnesses said, soldiers were cleaning up pools of blood and body parts and arresting Wazarondo’s followers and others. The soldiers looted and burned the temple before leaving.
One victim told Amnesty International: “I am a war survivor… but I have never seen anything like this. I don’t think I will ever recover from what I saw that day.
Authorities said 56 people were killed, but a confidential UN report seen by Amnesty International put the death toll at 102, “including 90 men, eight women and four boys, while 80 others were injured”. Amnesty International has received consistent reports that at least 10 people are still missing.
Authorities piled the bodies, some in the open air, at Goma’s military hospital and prevented families from identifying or burying them for three weeks until they were severely decomposed.
I am a war survivor…but I have never seen anything like this. I don’t think I will ever recover from what I saw that day.
massacre victims
No ballistics investigation, DNA collection or autopsies were conducted as part of a promised investigation by authorities, including on 27 officially unidentified bodies.
After the massacre, the head of MONUSCO appeared to defend the authorities’ response to the protests, claiming that security forces “in accordance with their primary responsibility for national security… sought to prevent impending demonstrations”. Military Governor Ndima publicly praised the operation and sent congratulations to the defense and security forces.
flawed justice
Two separate military trials were held in Goma between September 1 and October 10, 2023, but neither provided effective accountability and justice to prevent future massacres. Appeals from both trials are ongoing.
The first proceedings tried 116 Vazalendo followers and others on charges of rebellion and murder of police officers. The trial fell far short of fair standards. The collective indictment of more than 100 people for a single murder appears to be an attempt to hold FNJMN followers responsible for the violence on August 30, 2023, rather than truly investigating and prosecuting the killing of police officers.
The second indictment tried six members of the Republican Guard, including two senior officers, on charges of murdering and injuring Vazarendo followers. However, the investigation was rushed and incomplete. It did not establish the full scope of the crimes committed on August 30, including only 109 victims, but the official death toll was much higher.
The authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must reopen the investigation into this massacre in line with regional and international standards to uncover the truth and hold all those involved accountable.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
The court found Colonel Micombe ordered the Republican Guards to open fire and convicted him of murder, attempted murder and destruction of armaments. Colonel Micombe was expelled from the armed forces, fined and sentenced to death. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases.
Three other soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder and attempted murder.
Military Governor Ndima and Major Kabwe have yet to face justice.
Ndima served as North Kivu’s top military commander during the massacre and remains a general despite being suspended as governor. Kabwe is now acting special forces commander in North Kivu, a higher position than before the massacre.
“This is not the first time that the Congolese army has committed heinous crimes against the civilian population it is supposed to protect. The victims deserve truth and justice, not collective punishment,” Tig Chaguta said.
“The authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must reopen the investigation into this massacre in line with regional and international standards to uncover the truth and hold all those involved accountable. President Tshisekedi should ban the Republican Guard, including special forces, from participating in law enforcement operations , and clarify the special circumstances under which the armed forces can participate in law enforcement in accordance with international standards.
“The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should consider reviewing the killings in Goma on 30 August 2023 as part of its ongoing investigation into the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Examining the Holocaust
Responding to Amnesty International’s preliminary findings, Governor Ndima said there was no evidence that he ordered the shooting or that “these unfortunate incidents occurred”. He claimed that he ordered investigations and arrests immediately after the massacre, but provided no evidence to support his claims. He also did not respond to Amnesty International’s questions about official information about his push for military action, his actions before the massacre, his knowledge of the massacre, or his rationale and subsequent congratulatory message.
Colonel Micombe said through his lawyer that his arrival at the Wazarundo temple was “purely coincidental” after another colonel stopped him and asked to accompany him. He claimed he ordered it to stop once the shooting started. Amnesty International found no evidence to support these claims.
Major Kabwe did not respond to Amnesty International’s preliminary findings in a letter sent on 26 July.
Responding to Amnesty International’s findings and questions, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said MONUSCO responded to information indicating that the planned protests “posed a significant risk to peacekeepers and residents of Goma” A request was made to the authorities. He said MONUSCO’s demands to the Congolese authorities included calls to prevent loss of life and an emphasis on respect for human rights, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Right-of-reply letters sent by Amnesty International to President Tshisekedi, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Defense, among others, remain unanswered.
For more details on Amnesty International’s findings and the defendants’ responses, please see the report.
