Bunia: MONUSCO supports digitalization of military judicial data

« We had been limited for a long time to the traditional system, with paper files. In Goma, we lost several of them when the city was taken by M23 rebels, and this complicated the continuation of procedures. With digitalization, we will now be able to ensure continuity of our work and avoid new losses. »

These words from the senior auditor at the Ituri Military Court, Colonel Joseph Makelele, resonate as a turning point for military justice in the province. This Wednesday, September 24, 2025, in the courtroom of the Bunia Military Court, MONUSCO, through its Justice Support Section, delivered computer equipment intended to launch the progressive digitization of judicial files.

A partnership to secure data

True to its mandate of supporting Congolese institutions, MONUSCO has worked with military justice to implement an electronic archive management project, in order to modernize and secure judicial files and protect them against the uncertainties of the local context. The initiative, funded by the Mission's programmatic funds, provides for a central digitization unit and three local branches: Kinshasa, Beni, and Bunia.

After Kinshasa and Beni, Bunia welcomed its own unit, consisting of two all-in-one computers, two printers, and modern software dedicated to digitization and archive security. Two local IT specialists will be trained by experts from Kinshasa, with regular support from the Bunia Justice Support Section team. The digitized files will then be centralized on a secure server in Kinshasa, guaranteeing permanent access, even during times of crisis.

For the Regional Coordinator of the Justice Support Section, Jean-Georges Nyame, this step fits fully within MONUSCO's mission: :
« This operation aims to strengthen the technical and operational capacities of justice. By digitizing files, we secure judicial data and allow the military hierarchy to access it at any time, even if physical documents were to disappear. »

Towards more modern and efficient justice

The Military Auditor concluded by emphasizing that this handover is just one step: « With MONUSCO's support, we are moving towards a digital laboratory for military justice. We already have IT specialists trained on site and additional training is planned. We are gradually updating ourselves, and this handover already contributes to the efficiency of our administration. »

As a reminder, the Mission launched a few months ago in Bunia the construction of a training room for judicial actors, in order to strengthen their capacities and support the modernization of the judicial system.

These initiatives demonstrate the joint will of MONUSCO and Congolese authorities to make military justice more modern, transparent, and resilient, in service of local populations, even in a context of disruptions and insecurity.