The meeting, scheduled for June 25, 2026, ended in a few minutes. The Chairman of the court, Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Catalay Tiende, explained that the postponement was due to state considerations due to the absence of some members of the judicial board. The next hearing has been postponed to July 9, 2026.
The military court noted that the postponement was provided for the filing of petitions by other defense groups. Maitre Parfait Cagnenga, the lawyer of General Civeve, said that their petition has already been submitted, and the defense hopes to consider it at the next hearing.
The central theme of the first court session was the identification of the accused. On the same day, the Supreme Military Court informed them of the charges. The defendants are charged with particularly serious crimes, including conspiracy, high treason, justification of terrorism, dissemination of false information, violation of orders, desertion while traveling abroad, illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, as well as incitement of military personnel to actions incompatible with duty and discipline.
At the previous hearing, chaired by Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Catalaya Tiende, the judicial board identified some of the defendants. Many of them were present with lawyers.
Three key figures were absent from the opening session of the Supreme Military Court: Army General John Numbi (ex-Inspector General of the FARDC), Pascal Nyembo Muyumba (former head of CEEC) and Colonel Tshinabo Kenge Christophe. All of them are wanted as fugitives from prosecution. The representative of the FARDC military prosecutor's office insisted on the legal registration of their non-appearance. Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Liculia Bakumi, Auditor General of the FARDC, explained that this procedure is based on articles 326 and 327 of the Military Judicial Code of the DRC, applicable to wanted persons. This trial complements the trials of senior FARDC officers and generals linked to Rwanda's aggression through the Kigali-backed AFC/M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The alleged acts include conspiracy, treason, following criminal orders, as well as committing illegal acts or issuing illegal directives in the course of official duties.
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