Congo-Kinshasa: New DRC Rebel Coalition Threatens Radio Station, to Vet Broadcasts

What the report says

The Committee to Protect Journalists said a new rebel coalition in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has threatened a community radio station and tried to control what it broadcasts. In remarks published by AllAfrica from CPJ, the group identified as the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, was linked to pressure on Kamole FM in Nyangezi, South Kivu province, and to threats against the station’s news presenter, Guillaume Munguakonkwa.

According to the CPJ account, the trouble began after FRN member Colbert Jean-Baptiste Karume Kajabika asked the station to air announcements about rebel meetings and cleanup activities. CPJ said six FRN rebels, together with a local official’s representative, entered the station on October 16 seeking Munguakonkwa and pressing for coverage of an FRN gathering. The meeting was later disrupted by gunfire involving a government-aligned militia, after which the rebels sought a new announcement.

Station director Floribert Bayongwa told CPJ that he was later summoned and ordered to submit all news for approval before broadcast, under threat of imprisonment. Munguakonkwa said he went into hiding for several days after being warned that armed men were looking for him. CPJ said the episode highlights wider risks for journalists in the eastern DRC, where media workers have faced intimidation and detention during the conflict. The report also noted that former president Joseph Kabila announced the FRN on October 12.