From setting rapists free to covering up crimes to setting up and incarcerating victims of abuse, Congo-Brazzaville’s 2024 has been marked by judicial manipulations under the supervision of Oko Ngakala, the Nguesso-backed dubious prosecutor. Congolese people have suffered injustices and the most abject human rights violations with impunity.
Congo-Brazzaville’s Justice System: A Tool for the Powerful, A Weapon Against the Vulnerable
In 2024, Congo-Brazzaville’s justice system has solidified its role as both a shield for the powerful and a weapon against the vulnerable. Under the watchful eye of Oko Ngakala, the Nguesso regime’s prosecutor, the rule of law has been replaced with judicial manipulations, shielding perpetrators of abuse, silencing victims, and enabling unchecked human rights violations.
The Case of Guy Marius Okana: Justice Denied
One glaring example of this broken system is Guy Marius Okana, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting his teenage stepdaughter. Despite the severity of his crime, Okana never set foot in prison. Instead, he remains free, walking the same streets as his victim. Even more brazenly, he attempted to return to work in his official capacity—a move that was blocked only by the intervention of the municipal council. This case underscores a chilling reality: in Congo-Brazzaville, accountability is negotiable, depending on one’s connections to the regime.
Operation Coup de Poing: Arbitrary Arrests and Summary Executions
In May 2024, law enforcement launched Operation Coup de Poing (“Operation Punch”), allegedly aimed at curbing juvenile delinquency. What followed, however, was a campaign of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions.
Young people, many of them innocent, were rounded up based on little more than their appearance—hairstyles, clothing, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Families have reported dozens of disappearances, and in many cases, bodies have never been recovered.
One victim of this campaign was TC 2000, a popular local singer abducted and executed by police in October 2024 on allegations of gang affiliation. No evidence was ever presented against him, and he was denied his right to a fair trial.
Another case is Ngangoue Ransny, a 22-year-old allegedly abducted by Colonel Gauthier Lebela of the Paracommando Group. His mother, a handicapped woman, continues to search for answers, receiving only silence from authorities.
A grieving father said it plainly: “The prosecutor, Oko Ngakala, isn’t here to deliver justice. He’s here to bury the truth and shield the powerful.”
Roberto Lissassi: Tortured, Blinded, and Imprisoned
In June 2024, Roberto Lissassi was abducted and tortured by Captain Gayi Obora Mouesse, a nephew of General Jean François Ndenguet. Lissassi was left with one eye permanently damaged and two teeth missing after relentless abuse at the hands of the captain and his assistant.
When Lissassi sought justice, his abuser’s chilling prediction came true: “Even if you sue, nothing will happen. The prosecutor is on our side, and we protect the regime.”
True to these words, Oko Ngakala intervened to remove the case from an independent judge and later had Lissassi imprisoned on trumped-up charges of drug consumption. The perpetrators remain free, while the victim sits behind bars—a grotesque inversion of justice.
The Mboulou Case: Five Years for Murder
In March 2024, Lieutenant Brice Mboulou, the youngest brother of Minister Zephirin Mboulou (Sassou Nguesso’s Minister of Interior), shot and killed Mongo Mobi Erress Destin over a land dispute. The victim had simply gone to claim a refund after discovering that the land he purchased was embroiled in legal complications.
Despite clear evidence of guilt and the Lieutenant’s admission to the killing, he received a mere five-year prison sentence—a verdict widely seen as a mockery of justice.
Observers questioned how Brice Mboulou’s crime received a lighter sentence than political prisoners, some of whom have been jailed for decades on flimsy charges.
“In Congo,” one commenter wrote, “justice isn’t blind—it’s selective.”
When Blood Ties Override Justice
The rot within the judiciary extends further. In August 2024, Van-Bauer Ibara, a law student, was brutally murdered by gang members linked to Oyombo Oko, the nephew of Oko Ngakala himself.
Despite being arrested in connection to the murder, Oyombo was inexplicably released and now roams free. While ordinary citizens face imprisonment or execution for petty crimes, the prosecutor’s nephew enjoys immunity.
“How was he released?” one observer asked. “In Congo, family ties to power are a stronger shield than any law.”
A Judiciary Complicit in Repression
As 2026’s presidential election approaches, the regime’s strategy is clear. Henry Bouka will oversee electoral manipulation, King Obami Itou will unleash police brutality, and Oko Ngakala will continue to manipulate the courts to silence dissenters.
In Congo-Brazzaville, justice doesn’t serve the people—it serves the regime. The question remains: How long can this system endure before the people demand accountability?
The people of Congo-Brazzaville face not just political uncertainty but a complete breakdown of judicial integrity, facilitated by figures like Oko Ngakala who shield perpetrators while victims languish behind bars.
The pattern is clear: Under Sassou Nguesso’s regime, justice is reserved for the privileged, while the common citizen faces arbitrary punishment, torture, and execution.