In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 25 soldiers sentenced to death for “deserting” from the M23 movement

Posted on July 4, 2024

Lecture: 2 minutes.

Their trial lasted one day: 31 defendants (27 soldiers and 4 civilian women, wives of soldiers) appeared “in plain view” (immediately) in the court of the military cantonment in Butembo (North Kivu) Playground The village of Alimbongo, near the front line. Twenty-five Congolese soldiers have been sentenced to death after being accused of “deserting the enemy” during recent battles with M23 rebels.

Conviction Appeal

be accused ” Give way “For “scattering war ammunition in the presence of the enemy”, “violating orders” and “theft”, the 25 soldiers, including two captains, were sentenced to death”, declared the group’s lawyer Me Jules Muvweko. this The defense, which has been accused of lying about its allegations, then announced it intended to appeal the convictions. He said the other defendants, including four women, had been acquitted for lack of evidence.

Since last weekend, this The M23 (“March 23 Movement”) rebels, who have Rwanda According to the UN report, several locations along the northern front line of the conflict were taken under control, including kanyabayonga. lie in A The city is hundreds of kilometers from Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and is considered a lock controlling access to the northern cities of Butembo and Beni, both important strongholds and main centers of the Nande tribe. commercial From the country.

read: ‘Totally desolate’: M23 seizes Kanyabayonga in eastern DR Congo

Since the end of 2021, the M23 (a mostly Tutsi Congolese insurgency) has seized large swathes of territory in North Kivu province until it almost completely surrounded Goma. militia Auxiliary measures taken in the face of the insurgency’s advance have heightened authorities’ suspicions of infiltration by security forces.

Many military personnel, including senior officers from the eastern region, representatives, senators and business people of The DRC was arrested and charged with “conspiring with the enemy.”

Brief. The key to African news in your inbox

Receive 5 African news stories analysed by our journalists every week.

In March this year, Kinshasa also announced its decision to cancel Moratorium on executions WHO used to be The law has been in force in the DRC for more than 20 years. According to the government, the measure has been widely criticized by human rights groups and specifically targets accused soldiers. of Crime of treason.

(AFP report)