M23 rebels detain DRC journalist Espoir Mbata over WhatsApp post

Kinshasa, April 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the release of Congolese community radio director Espoir Mbata, who was detained by M23 rebels on Sunday over his WhatsApp post about their potential withdrawal from an eastern town.  

“Working conditions have becoming increasingly hazardous for journalists in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with both rebel and government authorities detaining those who report on the war,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “The M23/AFC coalition must free Espoir Mbata, who has not committed any crime by commenting on the news, and stop punishing journalists for sharing information with the Congolese people.”

Since the rebel M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) joined forces in 2024, they have made unprecedented gains against the government, with journalists facing increased threats, arrests, and censorship.

On March 29, three M23/AFC intelligence agents took Espoir Mbata, director of Top Buzi FM, from the radio station’s premises in the South Kivu town of Minova to a police cell, news sites reported and two journalists told CPJ, under condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.

Mbata had posted on a WhatsApp group for the local community in Minova that the rebels, who seized the town in 2025, might leave it. A few days earlier, the M23 had unilaterally withdrawn from parts of neighboring North Kivu province, amid renewed U.S. pressure for peace.

Rwandan and Congolese officials met in Washington D.C. on March 18 to discuss reviving a peace deal signed there in June. United Nations experts say there is clear evidence that Rwanda backs the M23 — a charge Rwanda has denied, although it recently acknowledged “security coordination” with the rebels.

Separately, on March 12, M23/AFC soldiers attempted to arrest John Zihindula Bwirabwanda as he was interviewing market vendors protesting over the loss of sales space, in South Kivu’s rebel-controlled Bukavu, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

Zihindula said Eugene Mubalamba, mayor of Ibanda, one of three administrative communes in the city, accused him of working with the government in Kinshasa and ordered soldiers to confiscate his dictaphone and phone, and arrest him.  

Zihindula, who works for community-owned Radio Svein, said he escaped as the protesters shouted, “The journalist did nothing, let him go.”

Zihindula told CPJ he has since gone into hiding as he has received four messages threatening to arrest him from someone who calls themselves “Major M23/AFC.”

Mubalama did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment via messaging app and phone.

CPJ’s questions sent via messaging app to M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka also went unanswered.