Kinshasa, August 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to ensure the safety of exiled Congolese journalist John Zihindula Bwirabwanda, whose Ugandan home was broken into by armed men who threatened to kill him for posting news on social media.
“It is shocking that Congolese journalist John Zihindula Bwirabwanda has been unable to escape the violent repercussions of war reporting, despite fleeing his homeland to live in exile hundreds of kilometers away in Uganda,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Ugandan authorities must promptly locate and hold accountable John Zihindula Bwirabwanda’s assailants and take urgent steps to make sure that he is not subjected to yet more death threats, or worse.”
The number of journalists fleeing the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has
soared
since
Rwanda-backed
M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebels took control of major urban centers in North and South Kivu provinces in early 2025. Combatants on both sides have used violence and threats to
prevent reporting.
Zihindula told CPJ that two men in balaclavas with knives and a third carrying a machete broke into his home at about 2 a.m. on August 1, and threatened to kill him. He said one spoke Lingala, which is widely used in the DRC, while the others spoke Uganda’s Luganda language.
Two attackers asked, “Are you the journalist?” while a third told Zihindula that his life was in danger and warned him to stop posting regularly on social media.
Zihindula, who worked for the local community-based station Radio Svein in rebel-controlled Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, continues to publish news from the DRC on social media. He moved to Uganda in April after repeated arrest
threats
from the M23/AFC.
Zihindula said the men stole his computer, phones, money and a briefcase containing his immigration documents.
Before leaving, the men told Zihindula, “God is on your side because we didn’t come for the money bu
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