They also discussed the cases of individuals who have been arrested and then transferred to the prisons in Kinshasa and Angenga in the Equateur province.

"We had a fruitful meeting with the Minister of State in charge of Justice concerning the decongestion of detention facilities. The highest magistrate has instructed the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, to proceed with the decongestion of the prisons. This initiative has begun primarily at the Central Prison of Makala in Kinshasa," stated Deputy Jacques Safari Nganzi.

He added:

"As deputies from North-Kivu, we came to meet the Minister of State, Minister of Justice so that the next activities could take place in the North-Kivu province. As you know, the province of North-Kivu is an operational zone and we are at war. It is obvious that most prisons in North-Kivu are over their accommodation capacity. And the Minister of State was attentive to our concerns and has promised that in the coming days, missions will be dispatched to the province of North-Kivu to examine this issue.

But we also discussed with the Minister of State the proper administration of justice in the province of North-Kivu because we have noted that some prisoners are transferred from the city of Goma to Kinshasa, and as national deputies, we constantly receive complaints from the families of these prisoners who do not know where their loved ones being held in Kinshasa might be.

We have requested the Minister of State's assistance in visiting them. We do not want to interfere with the administration of justice, but at least this would be a way to calm the families whose relatives are in prison in Kinshasa and Angenga. Those who are in the Central Prison of Makala we can visit, but those who are involved in security cases, we have never visited. They have been there for many months, and the families simply ask us to confirm if they are still alive to give them some peace of mind."

Furthermore, they also brought up the cases of people arrested and transferred to the prisons of Kinshasa and Angenga in the Equateur province.

Gisèle Tshijuka