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Following clashes with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) on 29 October, M23 rebels attacked the facilities of the privately owned Mpety Community Radio (RCMP) in Walikale territory, North Kivu province, and later killed journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi, according to the station’s programme director and two local residents.
RCMP Programme Director Diallo Kambale Ombeni told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that Kambere, an RCMP reporter and presenter, was assassinated while on his way home to gather possessions. CPJ has not established that the attackers were aware of his occupation.
“The killing of journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi is a tragedy, and the attack on the Mpety Community Radio station is an outrage,” said Angela Quintal, head of the CPJ’s Africa programme, in New York. “Media outlets and journalists have too frequently become victims of the fighting in eastern DRC. This cycle of violence must stop.”
Escalating Violence in Eastern DRC
Since resuming their offensive in late 2021, M23 rebels have advanced into North Kivu’s gold- and coltan-rich mining areas, occupying much of the region and extending their control to five of the province’s six territories.
A resident of Mpety village, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, said they witnessed M23 rebels slitting Kambere’s throat with a knife before discarding his body in the nearby Mweso River. His body was later found on 6 November, washed up on the banks of another river approximately four kilometres (2.5 miles) away.
Mwami Ntandu Kindi, the traditional chief of Mpety village, corroborated the claim that M23 rebels were responsible for Kambere’s killing and looting the community radio station.
Equipment Looted
The rebels stole broadcasting equipment from RCMP, including two computers, a solar panel kit, dictaphones, microphones, and a transmitter, Kambale told CPJ.
Similar attacks have occurred in the region. On 23 September 2024, M23 rebels vandalised and seized equipment from the privately owned Mweso Community Radio (RCM), also in North Kivu province.
Broader Threats Against Journalists
Separately, in May 2024, soldiers of the DRC military reportedly threatened to kill Parfait Katoto, director of Radio Communautaire Amkeni Biakato (RCAB), in response to his criticism of insecurity in northeastern Ituri province.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka was contacted by CPJ via messaging app and phone in mid-November, but he had not commented on the incidents at the time of publication.
