Roger Lumbala Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison: Key Milestones in the Trial

Paris, December 15, 2025 - Former Congolese rebel leader and ex-minister Roger Lumbala has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Paris Assize Court for complicity in crimes against humanity.

The ruling brings to an end more than two decades of impunity for atrocities committed between 2002 and 2003 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly during the military operation known as “Erase the Board.”

The trial opened on November 12, 2025, in Paris, following Lumbala’s arrest in France, where he was detained in 2020 and formally charged in 2023 under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to prosecute the most serious international crimes regardless of where they were committed.

After five weeks of hearings, the verdict was delivered late in the afternoon. The accused was summoned to the courtroom before being escorted to the dock for the reading of the judgment.

Roger Lumbala has ten days to file an appeal. A separate civil hearing to determine damages for victims has been scheduled for June 30, 2026.