Probe into Kabila murder “does not answer key questions”

The Congolese media watchdog, Journaliste en danger (JED), has said the government’s investigation into the assassination of former president Laurent-Desire Kabila has revealed “very little new information”. In a report on the findings of government’s enquiry commission, JED stated that the investigation “did not answer the key question of who had an interest and who benefited from Kabila’s death”. “The commission’s enquiry report remains ambiguous concerning certain key areas, such as the date and place of death of President Kabila,” JED went on. It also noted that while the commission attested that Kabila was killed after being shot three times, “at the same time, the report supports the government’s hypothesis that the former president died two days after the attack on 18 January [2001]”.

“The commission hides behind the principle of presumption of innocence to explain why it does not mention the names of the persons and countries implicated in Kabila’s assassination,” JED said. “At the same time, it makes no such attempt to hide the names of Bizima Karaha, Adolphe Onosumba, Joseph Mudumbi...all of whom are members of the rebel movement Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie. It also names countries like Uganda and Rwanda which support the rebellion.”

“JED asks the government, courts and tribunals to do everything in their power to ensure that the principle of maximum disclosure is put into practice and to release all the information concerning the circumstances surrounding Kabila’s death,” the media watchdog stressed.