WHY DRC PM Bodyguards Are Being Tried Over Officer’s Death

The appeal trial involving the bodyguards of Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa has entered its final stage, with the High Military Court expected to deliver its verdict within ten days, according to a report by 7sur7. The case centers on the death of traffic police officer Fiston Kabeya in Kinshasa in March 2025.

Former Prime Ministerial security chief Olivier Kanza Dunia and four co-defendants are being prosecuted for arbitrary arrest and pre-intentional homicide following allegations that they assaulted Kabeya while he was directing traffic near the GG Mart supermarket in Kinshasa.

During the latest hearing before the High Military Court, presiding judge Brigadier General Jean-Claude Nzau Keba announced the closure of proceedings after prosecutors, civil parties and defense lawyers completed their submissions.

According to the prosecution, Kabeya was allegedly beaten before being transported to Camp Kokolo hospital, where he later died from a cerebral hemorrhage cited in the medical report.

The case has attracted significant public attention in the DRC because it involves members of the Prime Minister’s security detail and broader questions surrounding accountability within state security institutions.

Human rights groups and observers have repeatedly called for stronger judicial oversight in cases involving security personnel, an issue that has remained sensitive in the country’s justice system. The DRC justice sector has also faced scrutiny in previous cases involving alleged abuses by uniformed services, according to reports by Reuters and the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office.

Military prosecutors requested ten-year prison sentences for each of the accused during the appeal proceedings. Meanwhile, lawyers representing the defendants argued that evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient and requested acquittal.

In the first-instance ruling delivered by the Kinshasa/Gombe Military Court, Olivier Kanza Dunia and the four co-accused were sentenced to twenty years in prison over the death of officer Fiston Kabeya.