Trial of Martin Koumtamadji

By Marie-Pierre Coppens | LNC

(N'Djamena, September 4, 2026 | LAMINE MÉDIA) Following a postponement due to a rather unusual reason—the Prophet's birthday—the trial of Chadian-Central African warlord Martin Koumtamadji (alias Abdoulaye Miskine) resumed in N'Djamena on August 31. Born in Chad in 1965 to a Chadian father and a Central African mother, he grew up in the Central African Republic after his father's death. He worked as a trader before becoming a warlord and fighting against Bozizé's troops. In 2004, he founded the Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC), with the stated goal of overthrowing the Bozizé regime; essentially, he operated along the border between Chad and the Central African Republic. Arrested in Chad on November 19, 2019, alongside his co-defendants, he spent seven years in detention without trial—but that day has finally arrived. He faces charges of hostage-taking, racketeering, and abuses, and has been named in several reports by the UN and human rights organizations. According to Narcisse Issa Bandengba, Senior Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Central African Republic (CAR): "More than three years ago, there were proceedings here before the Central African court against Abdoulaye Miskine; at that time, the investigating office handling the case issued an international arrest warrant for him, which was duly transmitted to the Chadian judicial authorities"—yet all extradition requests went unheeded. In the Central African Republic, Charlie Ouagotto—a former hostage of the Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC)—recalls his captivity: "They seized me and my clients. They torched my new vehicle. They held us hostage for three and a half months. We were released thanks to the intervention of Father Mathieu," the former hostage states. Overall, the Chadian justice system accuses Abdoulaye Miskine of crimes committed in Batangafo and Kabo, in the north of the Central African Republic, against Chadian nationals. In court, his lawyers noted the absence of a civil party to the proceedings. For them, the matter is simple: their client is innocent and the case file is empty—factors that, in their view, should lead to the defendant's outright acquittal. They regard the case as politically motivated. Furthermore, they challenge the territorial jurisdiction of the Chadian courts, arguing that the alleged offenses took place in the Central African Republic. The hearing resumed on Friday, September 4, with the prosecution beginning its closing arguments.

For: LAMINE MEDIA (in FR and GB)

Date: September 4, 2026

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