A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced 66 soldiers to death on Friday. The Goma Garrison Military Court handed down the verdicts in Walikale, North Kivu province.
The court tried 71 members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Judges convicted the 66 soldiers of cowardice, military mutiny and refusal to obey orders. Four soldiers received acquittals. One sergeant received a 10-year prison term after the court granted mitigating circumstances.
Authorities arrested the soldiers on 20 October in Ngora village. Officials accused them of abandoning their positions and fleeing during clashes with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation. The rebel coalition includes the M23 group.
All the accused belonged to the 3415th Regiment. Major Dieudonné Kasereka, communications officer for the 34th Military Region, confirmed the charges. He stated that the defendants faced three main accusations: cowardice, military mutiny and refusal to obey orders.
The army said the trial aimed to improve discipline among troops. Soldiers continue to battle armed groups in eastern DR Congo. The region has faced decades of conflict between government forces and various rebel coalitions.
Last month, another 27 soldiers received death sentences on similar charges of cowardice after they reportedly withdrew from the frontline. In March 2024, DR Congo lifted a 20-year moratorium on the death penalty. Officials cited the need to remove traitors within the army.
The Congolese Press Agency reported the verdicts. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for 70 of the 71 defendants. The trial lasted 12 days under an expedited procedure.
