Delcat Idengo

Delphin Katembo Vinywasiki (15 September 1993 – 13 February 2025), better known by the stage name Delcat Idengo, was a Congolese singer-songwriter and rapper.

Life and career Born in Beni on 15 September 1993, Idengo was imprisoned several times for his opposition to the authoritarian regimes in the DR Congo. Known for his revolutionary style, he used his music to denounce social injustice, particularly the violence in the east of the country. In May 2018, he released Tout le monde est fâché, which met with some success. In February 2021, he was arrested for the release of Politiciens escrocs, in which he criticized the broken promises of Congolese politicians. However, he was acquitted in a Beni court the following month. In October 2021, he was arrested again after accusations of incitement to violence were made against him. In December 2021, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. After serving part of his sentence, he was released in December 2023 after a pardon from President Félix Tshisekedi.

Death By January 2025, Idengo became vocal in condemning the M23 rebel group and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), labeling them as occupying forces in Goma and accusing them of fueling violence, displacement, and insecurity in the region. His latest song, "Bundukiza Kwetu" ("Our Guns"), which he uploaded to his YouTube channel on 12 February, the day before his death, carried a strong message against these groups. In the song, he accused M23, ADF, and CODECO of operating under different names while pursuing the same objective of seizing Congolese territory. Kanyuka justified the attack by stating that "We had forbidden the population from wearing military insignia... We found him at his house wearing military insignia during a sweep". Opposition leader Martin Fayulu also labeled it an assassination and called for a ceasefire in response to the incident.