DRC: 13 people, including two senior military magistrates, die in a plane crash in Kenge

The military justice system of the Democratic Republic of Congo is in deep mourning following the sudden loss of its two highest-ranking leaders. On September 25, 2026, a small Antonov-type aircraft chartered by the government crashed near Kenge, in the Kwango province. According to RFI, the accident claimed the lives of thirteen people, including the passengers of the delegation and the pilot.

The primary victims of this catastrophe are Lieutenant-Generals Joseph Mutombo Katalay and Lucien-René Likulia. The former held the position of First President of the High Military Court, while the latter served as the Army's Auditor General. Both embodied the supreme authority of the Congolese military judicial apparatus and were leading high-level legal proceedings, particularly in complex political and military cases.

According to information reported by local sources, the aircraft was returning from a mission to inaugurate new judicial facilities in Kikwit. Witnesses in Kenge reported seeing the aircraft experiencing severe difficulties in flight over the city. Lacking an airstrip, the municipality became the site of the crash, with the plane ending its flight in an uninhabited private property before bursting into flames.

The Congolese army quickly dispatched a helicopter to recover the remains of the victims, as the majority of the bodies were charred in the fire. Military authorities have paid tribute to the memory and dedicated careers of these senior officers. The Permanent Bureau for Aviation Accidents and Incidents Investigation has been notified, and a team of specialists has been sent to the scene to establish the causes of this tragedy.

Our perspective

Story Africa expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims and the Congolese people in the face of this tragedy striking the DRC's judicial institution. Full transparency in investigations regarding aviation safety and the transport conditions for state officials is a fundamental requirement to ensure the dignity of individuals and the continuity of republican institutions.