GENEVA – President Félix Tshisekedi’s government has declared all judicial and legal acts carried out by the M23/AFC coalition null and void, accusing the group of seeking to grant itself amnesty for serious crimes.
The ordinance, announced by Guillaume Ngefa Atondoko Andali, Minister of Justice and Garde des Sceaux, was unveiled at a Geneva conference on 30 years of armed conflict organized by Fonds National de Réparation des Victimes (FONAREV), a deflection arm of government that literally mocks victims by selective justice.
“Our commitment to justice and solidarity in favor of victims remains a cornerstone,” Ngefa said, framing the measure as a decisive step toward accountability.
But the move comes as M23/AFC consolidates its own judicial authority in territories under its control, a reality Kinshasa cannot ignore.
In Decision, the Alliance Council officially established a commission to revive the justice system in the liberated areas of North Kivu, citing six months of relative stability as the right time to restore courts and tribunals.
According to the AFC/M23, the initiative is aimed at upholding the rule of law, fighting impunity, and meeting communities’ need for justice, while reinforcing peace and reconciliation efforts already underway.
The Council referenced earlier resolutions, including its December 15, 2023, meeting and a founding acts consolidation workshop in Bunagana on December 20, 2023.
The AFC/M23 also condemned the destruction and looting of court buildings, the burning of Munzenze central prison, and intimidation of magistrates by Kinshasa’s forces, which it accuses of trying to paralyze justice in rebel-held areas.
The newly formed commission will oversee the re-establishment of courts and tribunals and will be led by legal experts, including:
Mr. Kimbulungu Délion (President)
Me Mugisa Tibasima Emmanuel (Vice President)
Me Ndayambaje Damien (Rapporteur)
Me Mutela wa Mutela Elie (Deputy Rapporteur)
alongside nearly two dozen lawyers and professionals.
While the AFC/M23 frames this as a strategic step for legal order, Kinshasa’s decree to erase these acts on paper contrasts sharply with the reality on the ground: a functioning justice system in the Kivus versus allegations of innocent civilians in Kinshasa being rounded up, detained in dungeons, and even executed for suspected AFC/M23 sympathies.
Critics describe Tshisekedi’s move as a diplomatic gesture for Geneva rather than a practical solution, a legal sleight of hand that ignores the government’s own abuses while pretending to dismantle a parallel justice system that is already operational in eastern DRC.