Amnesty International has accused senior officers of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army of committing “possible crimes against humanity” during a deadly operation in Goma last year.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the rights group highlighted the massacre on 30 August 2023, when Republican Guard troops stormed a temple belonging to the Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations. The assault resulted in the deaths of at least 56 people, according to Congolese authorities, though a confidential UN report seen by Amnesty suggests the death toll may be as high as 102.
The victims, mostly members of the religious group, were targeted after their leader called for a protest demanding the withdrawal of foreign NGOs and the UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, from the North Kivu region. Amnesty’s findings reveal that 90 men, eight women, and four boys were among the casualties, with another 80 people injured and 10 reportedly missing.
The organisation has identified three senior military figures who should face investigation and potential prosecution for their involvement: Constant Ndima Kongba, the former military governor of North Kivu; Colonel Mike Mikombe Kalamba, a Republican Guard commander; and Major Peter Kabwe Ngandu, who operated under Mikombe’s command during the operation.
Colonel Mikombe was sentenced to death by a Congolese court in October 2023, while three other soldiers received ten-year prison sentences for their roles in the killings. Amnesty, however, called for broader accountability and urged the UN Department of Peace Operations to launch an independent inquiry into MONUSCO’s conduct and its leadership’s role in the incident.
Eastern DRC has endured decades of militia violence, fuelled by the lingering aftermath of regional conflicts from the 1990s and 2000s. The massacre in Goma underscores the deep-seated challenges facing the region and the urgent need for justice and reform.
