A French court has sentenced a former rebel leader and politician from the Democratic Republic of Congo to 30 years in jail after finding him guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity more than two decades ago.

Roger Lumbala headed a rebel movement backed by neighbouring Uganda accused of committing atrocities during a period known as the Second Congo War.

The judge said the 67-year-old was found guilty of ordering or aiding and abetting torture and inhumane crimes, summary executions, rape constituting torture, sexual slavery, forced labour and theft.

Lumbala, who was living in France when he was arrested nearly five years ago, has refused to accept the legitimacy of the court in Paris.

He did not attend the trial, which began last month, though he was in the dock to hear the verdict on Monday.

Lumbala also served as a minister in DR Congo’s transitional government from 2003 to 2005 and later as a member of parliament.

Several years later the Congolese government issued an arrest warrant for him over his alleged support for the M23, a rebel group currently active in the eastern DR Congo, prompting him to flee to France.

The Second Congo War, which raged from 1998-2003, involved nine countries, numerous rebel groups and led to the estimated deaths of between two and five million people.

At the time Lumbala led the Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N), which allegedly carried out atrocities during a campaign between 2002 and 2003 called “Erase the Slate”.

The operation targeted members of the Nande and Bambuti ethnic groups in the north-eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu who were accused of supporting a rival militia.

A UN team that investigated in its aftermath said it was characterised by “premeditated operations using looting, rape and summary execution as tools of warfare”.

Lumbala’s case was prosecuted under the principle of “universal jurisdiction”, which allows French courts to seek justice related to crimes against humanity committed abroad.

Five non-governmental organisations, including Trial International and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, pooled their expertise to participate in the trial, helping support survivors to testify and requesting expert analyses.

Trial International, a Geneva-based justice campaign group, said 65 survivors, witnesses and experts testified before the court about the Erase the Slate operation.

After the verdict, it issued a statement from two of the survivors – David Karamay Kasereka and Pisco Sirikivuya Paluku.

“We were scared but came all the way here because the truth matters. For years, no one heard us,” they said

“We would have preferred to face Roger Lumbala, to look him in the eyes. But this verdict marks a first step toward reclaiming pieces of ourselves that were taken from us.”

During the trial Mr Kasereka, 41, described how his father and neighbours were tortured and killed by Lumbala’s men.

Paluku, who is a now 50-year-old nurse, told of how the rebels robbed and injured him, killed his uncle and raped his friend’s wife.

“We hope that this will serve as a lesson to those who continue to bring grief to the people of Congo, and particularly to Ituri,” he told the Reuters news agency.

Lumbala’s legal team, which has 10 days to file an appeal, called the sentence excessive. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence.

Eastern DR Congo, which is rich in minerals, has been wracked by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Several peace deals going back to the 1990s have collapsed.

Over the years a number of other militia leaders, including Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga and Bosco Ntaganda, have been put on trial and convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for abuses committed in the east of DR Congo.

Human rights groups welcomed Monday’s verdict as a milestone for further accountability in the long-running conflict there.

“This verdict is historic. For the first time, a national court has dared to confront the atrocities of the Second Congo War and show that justice can break through even after decades of impunity,” Trial International’s Daniele Perissi said in a statement.

The Benue State Government, through the Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board, BEQAE, has directed Jewel Model School, Makurdi, to immediately reverse the N106,000 being charged to parents for the registration of West African Examination Council, WAEC, and National Examinations Council, NECO, describing the levy as excessive and unjustifiable.

The directive followed a series of petitions from aggrieved parents who accused the school of imposing arbitrary examination fees.

Acting on the complaints, the Board summoned the school’s proprietor, principal and members of the Parents-Teachers Association, PTA executive to a meeting in Makurdi where they reportedly failed to justify the amount being demanded.

Speaking during the engagement, the Executive Secretary of BEQAEB, Dr. Terna Francis, clarified that the officially approved fee for WAEC registration was N28,000, while NECO was yet to announce its charges for the 2026 examinations.

“Schools are only permitted to collect officially approved examination fees, with a handling charge not exceeding N5,000 per examination,” Francis stated.

He further stressed that candidates were not mandated to register for both WAEC and NECO, noting that such decisions should be left to parents and students.

“Registration for WAEC and NECO is optional, not compulsory. Any additional costs must be transparently discussed and mutually agreed upon by parents, not imposed without consultation,” he added.

Francis also expressed concern over reports that parents at the school had been denied platforms to air their views, alleging that PTA meetings had not been held for nearly two years and that parents were restricted from commenting on the school’s WhatsApp communication platform.

He equally condemned the practice of routing school and examination payments through the proprietor’s personal bank account, describing it as a breach of accountability and transparency.

“Such practices undermine proper auditing and are unacceptable in a regulated educational system,” he said.

Francis consequently, directed the Director of Enforcement and Compliance Operations, Rev. Fr. Dr. Terungwa Tor, to place the school under close monitoring to ensure full compliance with the Board’s directives.

Warning against the exploitation of parents, Francis noted that schools found imposing undue financial burdens on learners risk severe sanctions, including the withdrawal of their operating licenses.

“These exploitative practices only worsen the problem of out-of-school children, which the government is determined to address,” he said.

Some students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, have called on the Federal Government to fully implement the judgment of the National Industrial Court by reinstating Professor Bernard Odoh as Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

The students, operating under the aegis of the Nigerian Students and Youth Association, UNIZIK chapter, urged the Minister of Education to act without further delay in reinstating Professor Odoh, in strict compliance with the court’s ruling.

President of the group, Chisom Nwangwu, recalled that Professor Odoh was removed from office by the Federal Ministry of Education following allegations that he was not a professor and therefore unqualified to occupy the position.

However, he said the National Industrial Court had since affirmed that Professor Odoh was duly promoted to the rank of professor in 2015 and consequently ordered that all his rights, entitlements and privileges be fully restored.

Nwangwu stressed that respect for court judgments is fundamental to nation-building and should not be treated as optional, urging Nigerians and government institutions to obey court orders if the country is to be firmly rooted in the rule of law.

He expressed concern that the continued failure to implement the court’s ruling, especially in a situation where the office of the Vice-Chancellor was neither legally nor practically vacant, sets a dangerous precedent.

“This persistent disregard for a valid court order undermines democratic values and sends the wrong signal to citizens. Such actions should not be allowed to define us as a people or as a democratic society,” Nwangwu said.

He noted that Professor Odoh is the first alumnus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University to be appointed Vice-Chancellor, describing his removal as regrettable and driven by what he termed malicious claims aimed at frustrating a young academic with a progressive vision for the development of the university.

The student leader also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter, noting that his administration is anchored on the principles of justice, fairness and respect for the rule of law.

According to him, such an intervention would help reaffirm public confidence in democratic institutions and reassure young Nigerians that justice, fairness and equality before the law remain attainable in the country.

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