Kamananga and Lumenje: two Congolese villages gone from tragedy to hope
On 5 May we mark the 7th anniversary of the massacres of Lumenje and Kamananga, in South Kivu (DRC), where 48 people were killed by a rebel militia.
On 21 September 2018, a military tribunal in Bukavu condemned two high-ranking militiamen to life sentences for murder and torture constituting crimes against humanity.
This success is the result of a close cooperation between the NGOs WITNESS, eyeWitness to Atrocities and TRIAL International. Together, they assisted the victims’ lawyers in collecting the strongest incriminating evidence, including verified video footage and photos.
Not only was the case a success, but it was also the first time that video footage was submitted and considered as incriminating evidence in a mass crimes case in DRC.
Watch the video showing the stages of this unique project:
TRIAL International’s work on this case has been conducted in the framework of the Task Force for International Criminal Justice, an informal network of international actors collaborating to support the work of Congolese military jurisdictions in the investigation and prosecution of mass crimes in DRC.
The work of TRIAL International on mass crimes cases in DRC would not be possible without the support of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Belgian Development Cooperation.
DRC:
Today we mark the 7th anniversary of the massacres of Lumenje and Kamanaga, in South Kivu (DRC), where 48 people were killed by a rebel militia.
On 21 September 2018, a military tribunal in Bukavu condemned two high-ranking militiamen to life sentences for murder and torture constituting crimes against humanity. This success is the result of a close cooperation between the NGOs WITNESS, eyeWitness to Atrocities and TRIAL International. Together, they assisted the victims’ lawyers in collecting the strongest incriminating evidence, including verified video footage and photos. Not only was the case a success, but it was also the first time that video footage was submitted and considered as incriminating evidence in a mass crimes case in DRC.
Global 
