Chebeya case: "It was at the general police inspectorate that they were suffocated"

Audio 06:25

Hergil Ilunga wa Ilunga, one of the members of the police commando who murdered Floribert Chebeya and Fidèle Bazana.

© Sonia Rolley / RFI

By: Sonia Rolley Follow

14 min

For the first time, two police officers admit having participated in the assassination of Congolese human rights activists, Floribert Chebeya and Fidèle Bazana.

This double murder is among the most emblematic crimes of the presidency of Joseph Kabila.

Interview with one of the two members of the commando responsible for assassinating them, former adjutant Hergil Ilunga wa Ilunga.

Publicity

RFI: What were you doing on June 1, 2010, that is to say the day of the death of Floribert Chebeya and Fidèle Bazana?

Hergil Ilunga

: We were called, I was off

duty

at home.

We were called to the general police inspectorate.

Who called you?

Colonel Daniel Mukalay, because I was still working with him and Major Christian Ngoy.

There were two calls

What exactly did they tell you?

They told us that there is a mission that will be carried out at the general inspectorate of the police.

Always stay on stand-by, we'll get back to you afterwards.

But were you not told that she was the object of this mission?

No.

So you are at the general police inspectorate, and when do you see Floribert Chebeya and Fidèle Bazana arriving?

There, at 4.30 p.m., almost 5 p.m., we saw a Mazda car arrive, if I remember correctly, it was a long time ago, gray in color.

We saw the two people who came to the office there.

It was believed that these are guests who always come there to the general direction of the police.

There's a gentleman got out of the car, went up there where the protocol is.

Afterwards, we are still waiting.

Afterwards, around 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, almost 6:45 pm, there were six of us plus Major Christian, that's seven. He told us to bring the driver from Chebeya.

They bring him to my vehicle, where I was driving.

It was a white Defender, Colonel Daniel Mukalay's Defender.

When we finished working, when we finished choking him, it was in my vehicle, we were with Jacques Mubago and Saddam.

He was always killed in the general inspectorate of the police.

Then we wait for our boss.

He too has always been stifled in the general inspectorate of the police.

Floribert Chebeya but it was in another vehicle?

Yes, another canine police jeep.

And who killed Floribert Chebeya?

There were Jacques Mugabo, Bruno Soti and Doudou Ilunga.

Who gave you the order to kill these two human rights activists?

It's Christian, he was like the operations commander.

It was he who gave the order.

He said, "

By order of the chief, really, we have to suffocate him."

He has problems with the chiefs, John Numbi and Kabila.

" That is what he said.

Did he tell you that they had to be killed because they had problems with General Numbi and then President Joseph Kabila?

Yes Yes Yes.

Because in the morning, Christian came directly to General Numbi's office.

This is where the briefing was held.

We didn't know it.

We were still waiting for the order.

Because we said that there was a service that we had to perform here during the inspection.

We didn't know what it was.

And what did you do with the bodies of Floribert Chebeya and Fidèle Bazana?

We went to Mitendi in the concession of General Djadjidja (note: at the time, he was only a colonel).

We buried Fidèle there.

Afterwards, we left with Chebeya.

More or less 2 kilometers from where we had buried Fidèle Bazana, we dropped off his leader in Mitendi, we left him there in his car, with caution, preparing him as if he had a woman in his vehicle, who 'he was making love.

You gave the impression, for example, that he had met a prostitute and that it would have turned out badly?

Yes, that's what Jacques Mugabo, he had done.

Because Jacques Mugabo, he had bought precautions, fortifying tablets.

Are they condoms?

Yes Yes Yes.

What happens from that point on, what are you told?

Because it makes a lot of noise in the Congo… What happens to you after that?

We left there in Mitendi, we went directly to Colonel Daniel.

We left the first jeep there, in Colonel Daniel's plot.

We went to (Christian Ngoy) Kenga Kenga, that's where we spent a night.

In the morning, I came home.

We hear that there is noise now, it was the 2. Afterwards, we regrouped, all of us.

We were told to always stay there.

We were there at the general's.

General Numbi?

Yes, yes, at home, still in Gombe there in town.

This is where we were.

On the 3rd or 4th, it was around 2am.

The general took his command jeep from the escort, gave it to his driver.

We left for the airport.

We found the Transair cargo ship (note: an aircraft from the Trans Air Cargo Service fleet), we were expected.

We were me, Hergil, Christian Ngoy, Jacques Mugabo and Saddam.

Where exactly are you sent?

We are sent directly to Lubumbashi.

We were taken at the foot of the plane to take us directly to General Numbi's farm.

Did General Numbi or Christian Ngoy tell you about this assassination, once you arrived at this farm?

No, we speak with Christian Ngoy, the general avoids us at all times, he avoids us, we always speak with Christian.

At the beginning, we stayed there, we were in the surveillance of the officers who were in Lubumbashi and worked for General John Numbi.

For a while, we saw that no, we were divided into the bush in Katanga, Kakanga, Kambove, Likasi, Mulungwishi, still in the bush.

I was in the mine police, that's where we were put, in the mine police, all of us.

We were still controlled, we were taken hostage.

And what made you run away?

Afrikarabia has published our photos on the site.

The Afrikarabia blog ...

Yes, yes, he published.

Christian called us before we arrested him.

He called us all, at his home at the residence.

The general had given the order to bring us all back to the farm.

There are our friends who work there on the farm.

They said, “

My brother, if you come, we will poison or kill you.

Don't come here

”.

Automatically, we fled.

When we fled, we listened a week later that no, we arrested Christian Ngoy in Lubumbashi.

You did not flee to escape justice.

It is because you fear for your life.

No, we fled justice.

If we take you, that you are going to confess, he will kill you.

General Numbi?

Yes Yes.

Justice is really looking for us.

There is no other way.

That's why I said to myself, I'm going to alert the international community.

If the Congolese justice manages to secure you or even manages to question you abroad, where you are now.

Would you be ready to answer a Congolese magistrate who would come and ask you questions?

If there is a magistrate who comes to question me abroad, there are no problems.

I'm ready, we're ready.

Are you ready to say it all?

Yes, there is nothing to really hide.

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Africa

• DRC

• Joseph Kabila