Journalism Under Threat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Attacks Disappearances and Arrests Raise Concerns About the Fate of Journalists

Media circles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are witnessing a series of increasingly concerning incidents, including a violent assault targeting the director of a news website, the disappearance of a journalist, and the arrest of several journalists in connection with media content they published or interviews they conducted. These incidents have prompted calls for urgent measures to ensure the safety of media professionals and protect them.

In this context, the Global Forum for Journalism and Media presents details of these events, based on accounts reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists and a statement issued by the “Rassemblement des journalistes pour l’essor du Congo” (RAJEC), which expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions for practising journalism and called on the authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure journalists’ protection.

In the capital, Kinshasa, journalist C., director of the “Netic News TV” website, was subjected to a violent assault on October 3, when four men wearing civilian clothes intercepted him as he was heading to a bank and showed him a document they claimed was an arrest warrant issued against him.

According to the journalist’s account to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the men beat him around the ribs and sprayed a substance on his nose and knees, causing him to lose consciousness. Several hours later, a passerby found him lying by the roadside, bleeding, with his clothes torn and his feet bare. He was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.

The journalist later travelled to France to continue his treatment. From Paris, he reported that he was still suffering from pain resulting from the assault, as well as breathing difficulties that he said were related to the substance sprayed on him.

C. had previously informed the Committee to Protect Journalists that he had received anonymous telephone calls containing threats and demands that he stop criticising Congolese singer Fally Ipupa and his lawyer, Dorothée Madiya. However, the available information has not revealed the identities of those responsible for the assault, nor has it established any connection between them and the individuals covered by the journalist in his reporting.

These criticisms arise within the context of a legal dispute stemming from allegations published by Colette Toza on social media, in which she spoke about a relationship she claimed to have had with the singer. The legal proceedings were not limited to the parties directly involved in the original dispute but were extended to include individuals who had shared her posts or hosted her during a live broadcast.

Among those affected by these proceedings is journalist Virginie Manganga, who was arrested on September 20 over an interview she conducted with Toza. She was charged with defamation and the dissemination of false information. On September 30, her trial began inside Makala Central Prison in the capital, Kinshasa.

Two days before the assault against him, C. had criticised statements made by lawyer Madiya concerning the Manganga case. He had also called on singer Ipupa to withdraw his complaint against the journalist.

During a press conference, Madiya explained that the measures taken against Manganga targeted her as a TikTok user rather than in her capacity as a journalist. In response, Manganga filed a complaint with the head of the Kinshasa/Gombe Bar Association, describing the lawyer’s statements as insulting and contrary to the rules and ethics of the legal profession.

In another separate incident, the whereabouts of journalist Dany Ngoba, who works for the “Iduc TV” channel, have remained unknown since he left his home on September 4, according to information contained in the report. His uncle explained that the family had been unable to determine whether Ngoba was being held by the authorities. For its part, the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed that it had been unable to establish whether his disappearance was related to his work in the media sector.

In another development, Espoir Butomba, director of the “Opulence.cd” website, was arrested at his home in Kinshasa on September 29 by judicial police officers affiliated with the Kinshasa/Matete Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Butomba explained that the officers told him his arrest was linked to the circulation, within WhatsApp groups, of content originating from another news website that contained allegations that a former minister had misused public funds. He added that he was released the following day after paying bail of $500, noting that the case had been closed.

These developments have not been confined to the capital and its surrounding areas but have also extended to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sources who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Burundian journalist Niyonkuru Samuel Gaylord was detained by military personnel on October 5 after publishing a report about an assault he said he had suffered at the hands of government soldiers on September 23.

Niyonkuru lives in the Lusenda refugee camp and works for the organisation “ONGEA-YAGA”, which covers the situation of Burundian refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Committee to Protect Journalists obtained information about his detention from the director of the media organisation where he works, as well as from another source who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

These multiple incidents highlight the importance of urgent action to establish the whereabouts of the missing journalist, conduct serious investigations into the assaults and threats, and ensure respect for fair legal procedures for those detained. They also underscore the need to distinguish between incidents that have been established as being linked to the practice of journalism and those whose circumstances remain unclear, given the lack of clarity surrounding their motives or the identities of those responsible.