Stanislas Bujakera continues to reveal truth even after imprisonment

Independent journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo face major challenges in their search for the truth. Expressing their opinions can have serious consequences. “To keep doing your job, you have to comply with one thing: stay alive. I would rather resist forced exile than submit to a dictatorship. Thanks to technology, I have a closer connection with my sources every day, which allows me to do my job,” Stanislas Bujakera said.

Bujakera is a leading Congolese journalist and editor-in-chief of actualite.cd, an independent online platform dedicated to bringing in-depth news coverage from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His commitment to journalistic integrity helps highlight the complexity of issues, keeping readers informed and engaged on the pressing issues at play in the country.

In North Kivu province, more than 50 attacks on newsrooms and journalists were recorded between January 2024 and January 2025, including looting, threats and physical acts of violence. Journalists who report critically, especially on the military or rebels, are often intimidated, threatened or even persecuted. New legislation from April 2023 also introduced stricter rules such as a ‘bad faith’ clause for dissemination of ‘false information’, making censorship or government intervention more frequent.

Rich in potential

“Initially, I dreamed of becoming a doctor,” Bujakera explains, “so I wanted to study medicine. Due to circumstances, however, I took a different path, and it turned out to be the right one: journalism. Soon I developed a passion for it, inspired by the desire to reveal the truth and give a voice to those who have no voice. Our country is rich in potential, but faces enormous difficulties. Despite the dangers - arrests, threats and even a six-month arbitrary detention in 2023 for an article I had not written - I remain convinced that journalism is an essential pillar of democracy and justice in the DRC.”

“Injustices, such as the unsolved murder of Chérubin Okende [Congolese politician - ed.] or the inhumane conditions in prisons such as in Makala, where I was detained, reinforce my belief that courageous journalists are needed to expose abuses and bring about change,” he continued. “This mission is a duty to my people and the future of my country.”

Actualite.cd is his brainchild, which he runs with Patient Ligodi, its general manager. “In the quest for change at the top of the country, as Joseph Kabila's second and final term in office came to an end in 2016, Congo needed a fully independent media channel that served the people and provided verified information. Since 4 August 2016, we have been online and met that need - and we will continue to do so.”

Thirteen years of risk

He has been working as a professional journalist since 2012, which means he has been at great risk for 13 years. For example, on 8 September 2023, after the publication of an article in Jeune Afrique Magazine wrongly attributed to him, he was arrested in Kinshasa by Congolese authorities. As he was about to board a domestic flight as part of his work, he was rudely intercepted by policemen in civilian clothes.

“They confiscated my phone and took me to the police station in Kinshasa. The next day, I was subjected to a heavy-handed interrogation in front of more than 15 people. The atmosphere was tense. Their questions were menacing and I realised that my investigative work on abuses of power and sensitive issues such as fraud and human rights violations could put my life in danger.” His arrest was followed by six months of detention in Makala prison in appalling conditions. “This made a deep impression on me, but also strengthened my determination to keep revealing the truth.”

This article previously appeared in 360 Magazine.