The Ituri Higher Military Prosecutor’s Office now has a modern technical and training facility, inaugurated on 17 February 2026 in Bunia. Funded with 49,998 US dollars by MONUSCO under its Quick Impact Projects, this infrastructure forms part of the Mission’s continued support to strengthening military justice in Ituri province.
The building includes a fully equipped training room, a secure secretariat and a technical room dedicated to digital investigations and forensic analysis. This new facility represents a strategic tool to enhance the operational and technical capacities of military judicial actors.
A strategic tool to modernize investigations
For Colonel Joseph Makelele, Higher Military Prosecutor at the Ituri Military Court, the significance of this infrastructure is twofold:
“This room will serve both as a training space for seminars, capacity-building sessions and strategic meetings, and as a digital forensic laboratory. It will enable us to conduct digital investigations, retrieve and analyze electronic evidence that can be presented before a judge.”
He emphasized that prior to this support, the Prosecutor’s Office lacked sufficient technical expertise in digital investigations.
“Before this inauguration, we did not have experts in this field. We received three training sessions with MONUSCO, including one in Kinshasa, to help us address challenges such as identifying war criminals or criminal networks. If a suspect is found with an electronic device, this laboratory will allow us to collect and analyze the data contained in that device.”
According to him, the facility will significantly strengthen the fight against impunity, enhance continuous professional training and provide stronger evidentiary tools once the laboratory becomes fully operational.
Addressing emerging forms of criminality
For Aimé Lobi, Legal Adviser to the Governor, this initiative responds to evolving forms of crime that the justice system must confront:
“Our judicial system had certain shortcomings because the world has evolved. We are facing the persistence of armed groups and criminal networks that sometimes operate through digital tools, without having the appropriate means to respond to this challenge.
This building handed over by MONUSCO will help our judicial actors, through the available equipment, to improve investigative mechanisms. Without an effective investigative framework, it is difficult to dismantle these networks and effectively combat impunity.”
Consolidating the rule of law in Ituri
This initiative comes in a still fragile security context, where military justice plays a key role in combating impunity and restoring State authority. In a province marked by armed conflict and serious human rights violations, strengthening judicial capacities remains a central pillar of civilian protection.
A few months prior to this initiative, the Ituri military jurisdiction had already benefited from significant support for the digitalization of military judicial data, enhancing the efficiency of evidence and case management within the province. In June 2023, MONUSCO also financed the construction of an administrative building for the Military Court and the Higher Military Prosecutor’s Office of Ituri, providing more dignified working conditions and a more suitable environment for handling military cases.
This continued effort to strengthen capacities and modernize the justice system reflects MONUSCO’s sustained commitment to supporting Congolese authorities in building more effective institutions capable of addressing contemporary challenges and delivering more accessible and credible justice for the people of Ituri.
Didier Vignon Dossou-Gbakon
