Attorney Étienne Arnaud, representing Aubin Minaku, has filed a complaint with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding his client’s enforced disappearance.
The referral of the case of Aubin Minaku to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGDF) by attorney Étienne Arnaud marks a major turning point towards the internationalization of the former Congolese official’s detention.
On March 19, 2026, Étienne Arnaud filed a formal complaint under the emergency procedure with the WGDF, an expert body of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Arnaud asserts that Mr. Minaku’s detention is “eminently political” and constitutes an enforced disappearance, as the government has not officially disclosed his whereabouts or the reasons for his arrest since January 18, 2026. The emergency procedure aims to compel the DRC government to clarify Minaku’s status and fate by establishing a direct channel of communication between the UN and Kinshasa.
The National Cyber Defense Council (CNC), headed by Jean-Claude Bukasa, is the body believed to be holding Minaku. Human Rights Watch reported on March 10, 2026, that the CNC was increasingly resorting to arbitrary arrests and secret detentions without judicial oversight, with at least 17 documented cases of enforced disappearances in Kinshasa over the past year.
Despite their repeated efforts, the family has received no official news regarding Minaku’s health or whereabouts since his arrest at midnight in January.
Broader diplomatic strategy of Étienne Arnaud, Aubin Minaku’s lawyer
Beyond the United Nations, Arnaud and the Minaku family are seeking broader international support. They have contacted the European External Action Service (EEAS) to express their concerns. Requests and appeals have been sent directly to the German Foreign Ministry and the Belgian ambassador to the DRC, Roxane de Bilderling, urging them to pressure the government of President Félix Tshisekedi to secure his release, Africa Intelligence reported.
Coco Kabwika
