Trial of General Philémon Yav: Informant Confirms Alleged Demoralizing Remarks in Goma

Goma, January 28, 2026 - The trial of Lieutenant General Philémon Yav Irung continued on Tuesday, January 27, with the hearing of four senior military officers as witnesses in the case brought by the Auditor General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). Those heard by the court were Lieutenant General Ndima Kongba Constant, former military governor of North Kivu; Major General Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa Efomi, former communications adviser to the same governor; Brigadier General Yangba Tene Dany, former operations adviser; and Brigadier General Mwehu Lumbu Evariste, former commander of the Sukola 2 South operational sector in South Kivu. The judges questioned the witnesses about two messages that, according to the prosecution, form the basis of the charges and the arrest of General Yav. General Mwehu was specifically asked about a conversation with the defendant during a meeting in Goma, during which General Yav allegedly told him: “You, General Mwehu, are always at the front. The victory will benefit these Bangala. We won’t see you.” The prosecution argues that this statement was likely to demoralize the troops. In his testimony, General Mwehu confirmed the exchange, stating that such remarks, coming from a superior officer, could indeed discourage soldiers. According to the prosecution, this constitutes the offense of inciting military personnel to act contrary to duty or discipline, while another message reportedly attributed to the late General Peter Cirimwami is being treated as treason, comparable to participation in an insurrection. “Your Honor, it’s true,” General Mwehu told the court. “The Commander of the Third Defense Zone did not have an office in Goma; his office was in Kisangani. He often came for hearings or operational meetings and usually stayed at the Serena Hotel. I was returning to the field when I learned he was in Goma. I went to see him to give operational reports. As we were leaving the hotel courtyard, he made that statement. I did not react, and we moved on to another topic.” General Yav Irung is suspected of having links to the inner circle of James Kabarebe. Reassigned to eastern DRC in 2020, he was appointed commander of the Third Defense Zone, a strategic military area covering North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Maniema, and Tshopo. His trial comes nearly three years after his arrest in September 2022. Nicknamed “The Tiger,” General Yav is among officers from the Greater Katanga region whose arrests have been cited by some political figures, including former President Joseph Kabila, as evidence of marginalization under President Félix Tshisekedi. The Congolese army has consistently rejected these claims, insisting that military justice operates strictly within the framework of the law and without ethnic considerations.