Kinshasa, April 18th, 2025 (CPA)– Magistrates from the Democratic Republic of Congo were invited on Thursday to carry the flame of “fair, accessible, respected” justice, by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, at the closing ceremony of the ordinary general assembly of the Superior Council of the Magistracy, in Kinshasa. “I invite you to carry within you the flame of this common ambition: fair, accessible and respected justice”, declared Judith Suminwa, before paying tribute to all the magistrates present for their dedication. “You are the guardians of the rule of law, the architects of a future in which every Congolese can stand upright, secure in his or her rights”, she added. The ceremony was marked by two main events: the first was the reading of the general report by Jean-Paul Nkokesha, Attorney General at the Council of State, and the second was a more formal affair marked by the presence of the Prime Minister, who represented the Head of State in his capacity as supreme magistrate. During the ceremony, the Superior Council of the Judiciary paid tribute to the participation of a deputy public prosecutor from the Maï-Ndombe province, despite the drowning death of his wife and two children, and to the memory of a deputy public prosecutor from Kolwezi, magistrate Flora Lubaki, who died during the meeting. Prosecutor Jean-Pierre Nkokesha presented 59 resolutions and 8 recommendations, notably concerning the organization of mobile court hearings, judicial mapping, the construction of courthouses, the protection of judicial assets, the obligation to take out health insurance with a local company, and the creation of a web portal for all jurisdictions and public prosecutors’ offices on the Superior Council of the Judiciary website. Following this reading, the report was unanimously adopted by the magistrate delegates attending the general meeting.
Addressing the participants, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa noted that the conclusions of the ten-day meeting of the High Council of the Judiciary would form the basis for building a justice system that would inspire confidence and restore hope in the Congolese people.
Judith Suminwa salutes the bravery of magistrates in war zones
During the ceremony, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa praised the courage of magistrates who braved terror and arbitrariness in areas occupied by the Rwandan army and its M23/AFC supporters. “I would like to salute the active participation of all the members of the Venus Higher Council of the Judiciary from the various jurisdictions of our country. Your presence, despite the immense challenges we face, particularly in the zones under occupation where justice is flouted by terror and arbitrariness, bears witness to your sense of duty,” she said. At the same time, she reiterated President Tshisekedi’s determination to restore the rule of law in the areas occupied by the Rwandan army and its M23/AFC supporters. “I reaffirm the commitment of the President of the Republic, supreme magistrate, Félix Tshisekedi, and that of the government I lead, to restore the authority of the State. We will not give in to those who seek to desacralize your mission, that of judging,” she said. ACP/