Environmental Defenders (ED) strongly condemns the assassination of journalist Thierry Banga Lole in Bunia, Ituri province, and extends its deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, and the wider media community in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His killing is a serious violation of the right to life and press freedom, and it highlights the escalating dangers faced by journalists and environmental human rights defenders in eastern DRC.
According to information published by Congolese and international media, including RFI, Thierry Banga Lole was attacked at his home in Bunia during the night of December 28, 2025, at around 01:00. He was rushed to Salama Clinic, where he later died despite medical efforts. At the time of the attack, his wife and children were in Goma. He was alone with a young child who managed to alert neighbors, an act that underscored the brutality of the crime.
Thierry Banga Lole was a journalist with the national public broadcaster in Bunia and a co-founder of the online outlet La Voix de l’Ituri. He was widely respected for his professionalism and his commitment to public interest journalism. Following his killing, more than 20 radio and online media outlets in Bunia suspended their programs for 3 days to denounce the murder and to demand stronger protection for journalists, reflecting deep fear and frustration within the profession.
Environmental Defenders stresses that journalists in Ituri and across eastern DRC are not only media workers but also environmental human rights defenders. Through their reporting, journalists document deforestation, illegal mining, land grabbing, wildlife trafficking, pollution of rivers and wetlands, and the impacts of armed conflict and extractive activities on communities and ecosystems. They expose environmental crimes and climate-related harms and give voice to affected communities, including Indigenous Peoples and women. This work directly contributes to environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and climate justice, and it places journalists at heightened risk in contexts where powerful interests seek to silence scrutiny.
The killing of Thierry Banga Lole occurs within a broader pattern of violence and repression in eastern DRC. The region continues to face repeated conflicts, including violence linked to the M23, the persistent presence of multiple armed groups, and the prolonged state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu. According to the United Nations, more than 7,000,000 people are internally displaced across the country, with a large proportion in the eastern provinces. Journalists and human rights defenders are routinely threatened, harassed, and attacked for reporting on massacres, illegal exploitation of natural resources, corruption, and governance failures, often in an environment of near total impunity.
Reacting to the killing, Samuel Warom Jariekong’a from the Environmental Defenders team said the country is entering a critical period for journalist safety. “We are increasingly concerned that threats against journalists are growing at a time when insecurity is already high, particularly in eastern DRC,” he said. “Journalists are being targeted for doing their work, despite the fact that the DRC adopted a law in 2023 to protect human rights defenders and activists. That law must now be implemented in practice. Without concrete measures on the ground, legal protections remain symbolic while violence continues.”
Environmental Defenders also raised alarm over recent attacks beyond Ituri. Ayiorwoth Gloria, a member of the organization’s protection team, expressed deep concern over what she described as a dangerous trend. “The killing of journalists in Ituri is deeply worrying, and it does not stand alone,” she said. “We are also concerned by the recent abduction of a journalist in South Kivu, reportedly by M23 elements, which shows that journalists remain targets across eastern DRC, both in areas under state control and in zones affected by armed groups.” She added that these incidents underline the urgent need for preventive protection. “Environmental Defenders is currently running security and protection grants for journalists, human rights defenders, and environmental activists at risk because of their work. These measures are essential, but they cannot replace the responsibility of the state to ensure safety and accountability.”
Environmental Defenders takes note of official statements confirming the arrest of 2 suspects in connection with the murder of Thierry Banga Lole, while other suspects remain at large. While these arrests are an important step, they must lead to a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation that identifies and prosecutes all those responsible, including those who ordered or facilitated the crime.
As part of its civic space and environmental human rights defenders protection work in Ituri and across the Congo Basin and Albertine Rift, Environmental Defenders continues to support journalists through digital and physical security training, risk assessments, information security, emergency assistance, temporary relocation, psychosocial support, legal aid, and small emergency grants or protective equipment.
Environmental Defenders calls on Congolese authorities to urgently strengthen protection for journalists and environmental human rights defenders, to respond rapidly to threats, and to ensure full implementation of the 2023 law on the protection of human rights defenders. Protecting journalists is essential to protecting forests, land, water, and communities. Silencing journalists accelerates environmental destruction and climate harm and undermines the rights and dignity of the Congolese people. Environmental Defenders stands in solidarity with journalists across the Democratic Republic of Congo and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring they can work safely and without fear.