Congolese journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi who was detained by M23 Rebels, was found dead 8 days later.
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 12 November 2024.
Congolese radio journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi was arrested by members of the rebel group M23 (23 March Movement) on 29 October and found dead eight days later, according to our information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns this crime and calls on the Congolese authorities to do everything in their power to guarantee the protection of journalists — especially in North Kivu, a raging conflict zone.
The press in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suffered a terrible loss. Journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi, presenter on the Mpety community radio station, located 180 kilometres west of the city of Goma in the province of North Kivu, was found dead on 6 November. His lifeless body lay on a riverbank in the village of Katobi, four kilometres from the town of Mpety. Yoshua Kambere Machozi had hosted the local radio station’s sports and music programmes since 2022.
On 29 October, after violent clashes between M23 rebels and Wazalendo, a pro-government militia operating alongside the Congolese army, the M23 looted the Mpety community radio station’s headquarters, taking all its equipment. The station’s director Barthélémy Bakangana was able to flee yet Yoshua Kambere Machozi was detained by members of the M23 despite his attempts to escape.
“The terrible murder of this community radio journalist confirms — yet again — the alarming danger facing journalists working in the east of the DRC. RSF strongly condemns this crime and calls on the authorities to do everything in their power to guarantee the journalists’ protection — especially in this area of armed conflict, where access to information is more necessary than ever. This tragic event also highlights the risks to community radio stations in the area, which are often primary sources of information that must be protected.”
Sadibou Marong, Director of RSF’s Sub-Saharan Africa Bureau
Yoshua Kambere Machozi is the second journalist to be killed in North Kivu province in the past two months. Edmond Bahati Monja, coordinator of the Catholic radio station Maria, was shot dead at close range in Goma on the evening of 27 September.
Community radio stations taken hostage in North Kivu
Mpety community radio station is just one of many radio stations in the province looted by the M23. Local media outlets in the eastern DRC, precious sources of regional news, are particularly vulnerable. In July, RSF warned of the upheaval to the local media landscape caused by the M23’s advancements in the southern Lubero Territory in North Kivu: in addition to looting the radio stations, the armed group now controls or censors their broadcasts.
Mpety is now in grave danger of becoming an information desert. According to RSF’s sources, the M23 rebels have disconnected the antenna serving the area. “This prevents the militias from communicating and coordinating,” explained a local journalist who wishes to remain anonymous.
