The Lumbala Trial – Week 4

(1-5 December 2025)

Voices of Survivors and Experts

Roger Lumbala and his defence did not appear in court throughout the fourth week of the trial.

Day Fourteen – 1 December 2025

Context witness Hervé Cheuzeville, a former UNICEF humanitarian worker, described his time in Beni and Mambasa in 2002. He described Operation “Erasing the Board,” carried out by MLC and RCD-N forces, as the “peak” of the violence. He stated that he never met Lumbala, and he described him as a secondary actor at the time, and emphasized the reliance of armed groups on military and territorial support, as well as the responsibility of neighboring countries in fueling the dynamics of the conflicts.

Civil party A. B. described how three “Effacers” soldiers burst into his home, pillaged all of his belongings, and subjected him to abuse. He then described the mass flight toward Beni during the second attack on Mambasa and confirmed that the soldiers claimed affiliation with Roger Lumbala and were commanded by Colonel Freddy Ngalimu, alias Mopao. He referred to forced labor imposed on civilians and stated that he continues to fear reprisals linked to his testimony.

Civil party G. K. reported the extreme violence committed when the “Effacers” soldiers identifying themselves as belonging to Lumbala, arrived: beatings, extortion of valuables and the pillage of his home. He described the gang rape of his wife and daughter, the attempted execution he narrowly survived, his escape into the forest, and the subsequent death of his daughter from the abuse she had suffered.

A civil party testified behind closed doors about the rape they, and other family member, endured at the hands that they endured at the hands of soldiers linked to Lumbala.

Finally, civil party D. E. gave a detailed description of the layout of Mambasa and the advance of the “Effacers,” as well as a rally led by Freddy Mopao, who introduced himself as commander of Lumbala’s troops. He recounted the torture and execution of his father and other civilians who were targeted as Nande, shot, and buried in a mass grave. He described the escalation of violence (torture, rape, arbitrary executions), the second capture of Mambasa, his family’s flight, and the distinguishing signs used by Bemba’s and Lumbala’s forces. He concluded by outlining the profound psychological and economic consequences he continues to bear.

Day Fifteen – 2 December

Civil party A. P. describes three days of large-scale looting in Mambasa after the arrival of the “Effacers”, followed by rallies led first by Colonel Freddy Ngalimu, and then by Roger Lumbala, who presented himself as the President.

He then recounts the subsequent incursion by the APC: he saw some soldiers, wearing APC uniforms (who in reality were “Effaceurs” in disguise), gathering civilians to carry loads. When the civilians were asked about the “Effacers” a young man in the group strongly criticised them. This was reported to Mopao, who ordered his men to kill whoever had made the remarks. Three Nande were also separated from the group. One of the soldiers forced one of the Nande to eat his own ear after it had been cut off. As the others escaped, the soldiers killed all four.

He then recalls the clashes around Mambasa, the subsequent arrival of troops commanded by Ramses, and the flight of the Mambasa population.

Civil party P.R. recalled how the “Effacers” entered Mambasa, and how soldiers stabbed him in the arm, and looted all of his belongings and his money. P.R. was then forced to work for them under constant threat of violence. During a rally, General Mopao announced that he was head of operations for “President Lumbala”, and urged the population (that had fled at the occupation) to return, and that the pillaging that had taken place during the three previous days would stop.

After an APC counteroffensive, P. R. escaped execution by hiding, while his uncle and other civilians were killed in the same episode described by A.P.

He reflected on the repeated displacement of the population, the persistent trauma, and his frustration at not being able to confront Lumbala in the courtroom.

Next, context witness Father Silvano Ruaro described the brutality of the “Erasing the Board” troops. The witness also referred to a soldier that admitted that the troops had received three days of authorisation to commit rapes, murders, and pillaging. He stated that he never heard soldiers claim allegiance to Lumbala and minimises his role, in contradiction with his previous statements. He also recounted his meeting with Ngalimu, the arrival of MONUC, and the population’s flight.

The statements of context witness Father Francesco Laudani were then read. His report described his captivity at the end of 2002. According to him, the Erasing the Board troops were following Bemba and Lumbala’s orders, but he did not know the exact chain of command. He nevertheless considered that Ndima reported to Lumbala, and that the latter could not have been unaware of the abuses underway. He confirms the pillaging and forced labour imposed on the population.

Civil-party lawyers read excerpts from the MONUC report confirming the execution of four men among 12 captured civilians, an episode already described by several victims. They also read a complaint submitted to the ICC in April 2003 by the association Aviguituri, identifying the shared responsibility of the RCD-N and the MLC, and of their leaders Bemba and Lumbala, in the summary executions and systematic violence committed in Mambasa.

Day Sixteen – 3 December

Three civil parties were heard in closed sessions. They testified about the sexual violence they were subjected to. All of them emphasised the long-lasting physical, psychological, and social consequences of these crimes, for them and their family members.

Civil party R. E. described the arrival of the “Effacers” in Mambasa and Mandima, the violence following clashes with the APC, and several episodes of forced labour, looting, and threats against the local population. He reported having been captured to transport ammunition during a convoy of civilians under the command of Freddy Ngalimu, with soldiers explicitly claiming allegiance to Roger Lumbala. He recalled his escape, the physical after-effects from the beatings, the looting of all his belongings, and his hope that this trial will put an end to the cycle of violence in Ituri.

Expert witness Anneke Van Woudenberg recounted her background and investigative experience in Ituri for Human Rights Watch beginning in 2002, based on numerous field missions and dozens of interviews, which resulted in two major reports on the violence (“Ituri Covered in Blood” and later “The Curse of Gold”). She described the rigorous methodology used (interviews, corroboration, documentary collection) and situated the crimes within a context of political, military, and economic competition fuelled by regional interference.

She explained that Roger Lumbala was part of a system of armed actors motivated by political and mining interests, and reported a conversation with Salim Saleh, brother of the Ugandan president, stating that Lumbala had allegedly been encouraged to form a rebellion to seize control of the diamond mines in Bafwasende. She then detailed the abuses committed by the RCD-N in Durba and Watsa from August 2002 (looting, sexual violence, public torture, summary executions, arbitrary taxation, detentions in underground prisons) and establishes direct similarities with the “Erasing the Board” operation, marked by targeted persecution of the Nande and Bambuti people.

She shared that these practices formed part of a planned strategy and were not isolated abuses. According to her, Roger Lumbala had his own ambitions and cannot be reduced to a mere proxy of Jean-Pierre Bemba, even if the latter supplied him with men and ammunition.

She concluded by characterising the RCD-N as a militarily unstructured group dependent on looting for survival, with only officers appearing to receive regular pay.

Day Seventeen – 4 December

Expert physician Hervé Boissin presented the conclusions concerning the medical assessment carried out on three civil parties. He detailed the temporary and permanent impairments, as well as the intensity of the suffering endured, and he deemed it consistent with the alleged facts. He shared the limitations of an assessment conducted twenty years after the events, noting that the after-effects would have been much more pronounced if the victims had been examined a few years after the events.

Expert psychologist Christian Ballouard described his clinical methodology and presented his evaluation of four civil parties. He noted, in all of them, a lasting trauma centred on the looting and violence suffered, sometimes experienced obsessively, associated with a fear of testifying but also with a strong desire for justice.

The President read several statements describing murders, looting, rapes, captivity, torture, and forced displacement in the areas of Mambasa, Epulu, and Bafwasende. The excerpts included, in particular, the account of a mother whose son was executed, testimonies from women who were raped and forced to work, as well as witnesses describing firsthand the abuses they endured or observed. Certain passages highlighted the authority attributed to Roger Lumbala, designated as a leader and described as providing logistical support to the troops on the ground. These testimonies described an environment of widespread violence, organised sexual abuse, and captives forced into hard labour.

Expert psychologist Hélène Bongrand presented her evaluation of nine civil parties. The violence suffered appeared to harm not only the individual, but also the collective, creating shame, isolation, and a long-term inability to verbalise. She noted that the act of testifying reawakens the suffering but also brings relief and a sense of breaking the silence imposed by the crimes.

Next, a few documents were read: a report on the exploitation of natural resources in Mambasa and Bafwasende; press articles portraying Roger Lumbala in both a positive or critical light; interviews in which Lumbala denied any military role in the DRC and described himself as merely an executor.

Day Eighteen – 5 December

Expert psychologist Amal Hachet presented the clinical evaluation of seven civil parties, describing lasting traumatic traces: impaired memory, acute flashbacks, and fragmented temporal anchoring. She emphasised the massive impact of the violence, particularly sexual violence, to both those who had lived through it and their families. The expert also noted the emotional burden of testifying.

The President of the court then read several reports from the International Crisis Group (2002–2006) referring to the RCD-N as an armed actor allied with but distinct from the MLC.

Expert psychologist Philippe Oudy presented the assessment of the accused: no identified psychiatric disorders, but traits marked by egocentrism, low empathy outside his immediate circle, and a strong attachment to power and political status. The accused completely exonerated himself, claiming not to have commanded his own troops, to have only been an executor, and asserting that the accusations originate from political adversaries. He denied having been informed of atrocities committed and questioned the credibility of NGO and United Nations investigations.

A lengthy reading of the written statements of the accused followed, which allowed for his version of the facts to be presented: breaks in the chain of command, absence of involvement in the Erasing the Board operation, and the claim of a secondary role dependent on other rebel leaders, while also asserting that he brought stability and administration to the territories under his control.

Finally, two video excerpts from a 2009 interview were shown. In them, the accused asserted his armed involvement, stated that he has no regrets and that he is ready to appear before an international court, and declared that he would “do it again”, and considered the bloodshed inherent to revolution.