Kilalopress – After 58 days of arbitrary detention in the dark cells of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) in Isiro, Espoir SADIKI SHEMUKOBYA and Da Silva KISUBA MUHIMA were finally released during the night of August 28 to 29. A silent release, without any official statement, as if they were to be let out quietly, unnoticed. But their ordeal is far from over.
Their passports, ID cards, and other personal documents remain confiscated by the ANR, under the direct orders of the Governor of Haut-Uélé. A form of semi-freedom, or rather a disguised form of conditional release. A clear strategy: release the bodies, but keep the voices under control. Prevent any movement, testimony, or action.
And the cost of this detention is already showing. Espoir SADIKI is physically weakened. After nearly two months without medical care, in inhumane detention conditions – filthy cells, no light, inadequate food, and no access to medical treatment – his health has seriously deteriorated. According to those close to him, he suffers from persistent pain, chronic exhaustion, and concerning signs of respiratory issues. He now requires urgent medical examinations in the coming days to assess the after-effects of his prolonged detention – a direct consequence of the unjust persecution he endured.
News of his release immediately sparked reactions from several advocacy organizations, beginning with his own structure, ANVC. The Congolese Alert for the Environment and Human Rights (ACEDH), the very first civil society organization in North Kivu, was among the first to respond. In a photo published a few hours after his release, SADIKI is seen alongside ACEDH’s environmental lawyer, who confirms not only his release but also that his official documents are still being held by the ANR. “His freedom is incomplete. His health is concerning. And the injustice he suffered demands accountability,” ACEDH said in a statement addressed to the authorities. The organization demands clear explanations from the government and calls for immediate reparations. According to them, the SADIKI case exemplifies impunity and authoritarian drift in mining-influenced areas.
What should have been an administrative matter turned into a political show of force. SADIKI and KISUBA were deprived of their freedom without charges, without trial, without a shred of evidence – simply for attempting to defend the land rights of local communities against the brutal expansion of Kibali Gold Mine, whose machinery continues to devastate ancestral lands in Watsa and Watsa Moke.
The release of the two defenders must not, under any circumstances, be seen as a victory. It is neither an acknowledgment of innocence by the authorities nor compensation for the harm suffered. It is merely the result of a lopsided power dynamic, dictated by growing pressure from civil society, independent media, and outraged communities.
While the ANR partially releases its hostages, Kibali Gold continues to operate illegally on expropriated land. Unregulated land demarcation, evictions without legal framework, complicity of certain local officials, total silence from the Ministry of Land Affairs… In Mangbutu, anger is rising. In Watsa, resistance is being organized.
Releasing two activists is not enough to erase the humiliation, psychological torture, denial of justice, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding behind closed doors. SADIKI and KISUBA must be fully rehabilitated, with the immediate return of their documents, compensation, and public apologies. Because in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we can no longer accept that defending the land is treated as a crime, nor that mining interests outweigh human rights.
By Franck zongwe Lukama