No one understands the devastation of Congo’s rebellion industry better than the Congolese people. Today, a growing and committed group of Congolese activists stand at the forefront of a peaceful resistance movement. Justine is one of them.
Just before Bosco Ntaganda launched the M23 rebellion, Justine Masika Bihamba took to the airwaves to demand accountability for his crimes. As the founder of Synergie des Femmes, an acclaimed women’s rights organization in eastern Congo, Justine has a reputation for telling the unvarnished truth, no matter the consequence. [Check out our profile of her work with Synergie here.]
On March 14, 2012, during an interview on BBC radio, Justine called for the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda, a war criminal serving as a general in Congo’s army:
“The BBC interviewed me after the conviction of Thomas Lubanga last March [a Congolese found guilty of war crimes by the International Criminal Court]. The journalist asked me what I thought of the verdict. I of course praised it as a landmark decision in the fight against impunity, but I insisted that Lubanga’s accomplices should also be arrested and transferred to The Hague [where the international court is based]. I openly named Bosco Ntaganda as one of them.”
A few weeks later on April 10th, Justine joined dozens of Congolese civil society leaders in a rare face-to-face meeting with Congo’s President Kabila. In that meeting, they repeated Justine’s clarion call for Bosco’s arrest. That meeting was the first time that Kabila indicated that he might be open to the idea, and the word spread quickly.
Bosco answered Justine’s activism with death threats:
“On April 16, Bosco and the members of his group organized a meeting about me in a hotel in Goma [the capital of North Kivu Province]. The purpose was to gather all possible information about me — my past, my activities and my schedule. On April 27, I received death threats by SMS text message. I started to hide from them; first in hotels, then within my family. Unfortunately, Bosco managed to locate me and his men surrounded my youngest brother’s house. So I had to leave Goma.”
Generous family members, friends, and fellow activists stepped in to assist Justine and Synergie during her time in exile.
Exactly 1 year and 4 days after Justine’s fateful BBC radio interview, Bosco turned himself in. His rebels were forced to retreat from Goma due to intense international and diplomatic pressure on his backers in the Rwandan government, and his control over the M23 movement faltered as a result. Fearing for his life, he showed up at the doorstep of the American Embassy in Rwanda and asked to be flown to the Hague to face prosecution for war crimes.
With Bosco locked up in the Hague, Justine gave a triumphant interview to Human Rights Watch:
“It is a feeling of happiness. Truly, it’s a strong signal in the struggle against impunity. I think all the warlords now know that one day they will be tried for the acts that they committed. During the reign of Bosco I suffered a lot, and couldn’t even stay at my house. I was forced to leave my country. I was forced to stop working. When I returned, every time I met someone on the street and if that person stared at me, I thought: that person is working with Bosco, and he is going to follow me. I lived in horror. And now, today, thank God, he’s going to the tribunal. What gives me the most comfort is that when you think you are a warlord and you are untouchable as he was called – ‘The Terminator’ – you should know that one day justice will triumph. That’s what gives me joy. Because now, he will be judged for his actions. And especially because justice is there to honor the memory of his victims.”
Today, not only is Bosco in prison, but his entire rebel force has been defeated on the battlefield. 1500 rebels have been arrested in Uganda, and the hunt continues for the high-ranking commanders. Good news like this is hard to come by in eastern Congo. Today we celebrate along with Congolese whistleblowers like Justine.
