Front Line was appalled to learn today of the escape from prison of Corp. Sébastien Tandema, the main suspect in the murder of journalist and human rights defender Mr Didace Namujimbo. Sébastien Tandema escaped from a prison cell in the 10th Military Region's headquarters in the eastern city of Bukavu on 23 November 2009, five days after he was arrested. A deserter from the Congolese army's 3rd Joint Brigade, Sébastien Tandema allegedly confessed to the killing when he appeared before military prosecutors some days after his arrest, but would not name the person who ordered the killing.

Further Information

Didace Namujimbo was shot in the head and killed by unknown individuals on 21 November 2008. He had been a journalist with Radio Okapi in Bukavu, the capital of Southern-Kivu Province, which is a program run by the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC). He had reportedly been receiving death threats for more than a year before his killing, as a result of his work reporting violence and violations of human rights in Southern Kivu. For further information on Didace Namujimbo's killing see Front Line Appeal of 25 November 2008.