Journalist Targeted, Colleague Repeatedly Detained in Eastern DRC

October 06, 2025 – Congo – 

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, two journalists have recently been subjected to violent threats and harassment in what rights advocates say reflects deepening suppression of press freedom.

In Uvira, South Kivu province, radio journalist Patient Chimusa was attacked on October 1 while boarding a motorcycle taxi. Two assailants confronted him; one slashed his right arm with a knife and then fled. Chimusa had already faced a wave of death threats linked to his radio debates over local unrest, including protests demanding the dismissal of a military-intelligence commander believed to be aligned with ethnic factions in the area. He reported receiving threatening calls and text messages accusing him of inciting ethnic animosity, and days earlier was robbed of his phone and laptop during a knife attack.

Meanwhile, in neighboring North Kivu province, broadcaster and reporter Aimé Paluku, affiliated with the state broadcaster RNTC, experienced repeated detention by military intelligence. Between September 27 and October 1, he was detained on three separate occasions. The last detention lasted two nights, during which his phone and laptop were confiscated. Paluku told CPJ he was accused of spying for the armed group M23, a rebel movement active in the region.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned both incidents, urging Congo’s authorities to protect media workers and hold perpetrators accountable. CPJ noted that in an already volatile conflict zone, state-tolerated intimidation of journalists only deepens the risks associated with reporting.

These events underscore the dangers facing journalists in the DRC’s volatile eastern provinces, where control is contested, and political, military, and ethnic tensions often determine who may safely report. The attacks on Chimusa and repeated detentions of Paluku reflect broader challenges to press freedom in conflict-ridden zones.

Reference – 

In eastern DRC, journalist faces knife attack, threats, another detained 3 times