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June 26, 2025 – Congo –
Serge Sindani—a defense reporter and director of the Kis24.info news site—was taken into custody by a senior Congolese army officer in Kisangani. His arrest followed his posting, two days earlier, of a distant photograph of Sukhoi military jets at Bangoka International Airport on his X (formerly Twitter) account, captioned simply: “RDC-Instant Kisangani — the city is calm and under control with our Sukhoi fighter jets. Happy Sunday”.
Sindani is currently held in a military intelligence cell in Tshopo province, where Colonel Mwambi has accused him of filming military assets without authorization, raising suspicions about his “intentions,” particularly whether he intended to inform opposition forces.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) sharply criticized the detention, insisting that “authorities in the DRC must not legitimize the detention… under the pretext of the ongoing war in the east of the country” and called for his immediate release, reaffirming the fundamental role of journalists in informing citizens about security and public matters.
Sindani’s arrest occurs as tension mounts in the eastern DRC, days before a U.S.-brokered peace agreement is scheduled to be signed on June 27 between the DRC and Rwanda, designed to end decades of unrest in the region.
This incident highlights a broader pattern: Congolese journalists face escalating pressure when reporting on military and security-related issues. Provincial journalists have been consistently targeted, and previous incidents include detentions and harassment for covering corruption, protests, and public safety issues.
Reference –
DRC military detains journalist Serge Sindani for warplane tweet
