The series of arrests within the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) continues with the detention, on Sunday, December 21, 2025, of General Dieudonné Muhima Batechi, commander of the strategic Kamina military base. He is accused of embezzling public funds and military rations, in the context of an intensified fight against corruption within the Congolese army.
This arrest brings to at least 22 the number of generals detained since the beginning of this vast operation to "moralize" the armed forces, initiated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces. General Muhima Batechi is not unknown: a former right-hand man of the controversial General Muhindo Akili, known as "Mundos," himself under sanctions from the European Union and the United States for serious human rights violations, he is also alleged to have been involved in dubious affairs, notably the suspected plot surrounding the assassination of Colonel Mamadou Ndala.
According to several military intelligence sources in FARDC, the arrest took place on the morning of December 21, in an atmosphere of palpable tension. Major General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo), confirmed during a briefing that these arrests are part of a series of disciplinary measures targeting "highly reprehensible acts related to state security." However, the army is invoking the secrecy of the investigation, which currently limits transparency regarding the precise charges and available evidence.
This latest arrest raises questions about the true extent of corruption within the Congolese army, as well as the potential political motivations behind some of the detentions. While some welcome a desire for reform and the restoration of military integrity, others denounce a selective, even politically motivated, witch hunt.
General Muhima Batechi thus joins a list of high-ranking officers recently implicated, in a context where the military justice system seems determined to crack down hard. It remains to be seen whether these proceedings will lead to exemplary convictions or whether they will become bogged down in the complexities of a judicial system often criticized for its opacity.
A turning point or a smokescreen? The question remains open. But one thing is certain: the purge within the FARDC is far from over.