In the hot news of justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an alarming situation has shaken the functioning of the courts in the province of Bas-Uele. A delegation of jurists from this region, currently on a mission in Kinshasa to participate in the work of judicial reform, points out the absence of judges in most of the courts in the province.
During a poignant press conference, the national secretary of the council of judicial defenders and the syndic at the high court of Buta, Maitre Victor Elonga Kongoli, highlighted the serious consequences of this lack of judicial staff. He reported on the general dysfunction of the judicial system in the Bas-Uele region, deploring the few courts in operation.
Thus, Maitre Kongoli denounced the blockage of trial courts throughout the province, citing by name the territories of Ango, Aketi, Bondo, Bambesa and Buta. He stressed that despite the cases awaiting processing by the peace courts, the latter remain inoperative. Even the Buta High Court, which is authorized to handle various matters falling under these courts, such as the labor court, the commercial court, the juvenile court and the peace court, is also affected by this dysfunction.
Faced with this alarming observation, Maitre Kongoli calls on the High Council of the Judiciary to find adequate solutions to this pressing problem. He raises the case of litigants detained in conditions that do not respect legal procedures, pleading for these people to know exactly what they are accused of. The absence of judges throughout the province of Bas-Uele seriously compromises the implementation of justice and directly impacts the situation of prisoners.
Thus, the national secretary of the council of judicial defenders and the syndic at the Buta High Court calls for a decongestion of the region’s prisons, stressing the urgency of remedying this judicial crisis. It is imperative that concrete measures be taken to resolve this dysfunction that hinders citizens’ access to fair and effective justice.
This alert issued by the delegation of lawyers from Bas-Uele highlights the crucial importance of ensuring the proper functioning of courts in all regions of the country. It is essential to remedy this emergency situation in order to restore citizens’ confidence in the judicial system and to guarantee respect for the fundamental rights of each person.