DR Congo Court Condemns 66 Soldiers to Death Amid M23 Fighting
(MENAFN) A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has condemned 66 soldiers to death on three counts, including cowardice, according to local reports published Sunday.
The proceedings at the Goma Garrison Military Court in North Kivu province covered more than 70 soldiers. Four were acquitted and one received a 10-year prison term, a UN-run radio station reported.
Judges handed down the verdicts after finding the defendants guilty of “munity, disobeying orders, and cowardice” in the face of the enemy, the report said.
The convicted men serve in the 3415th regiment of the Congolese army. They were reportedly detained on Oct. 20 in Walikale territory, where the alleged offenses took place.
The army said the trial was meant, in part, to tighten discipline within its ranks as a security crisis grips eastern Congo.
The ruling follows a similar one in October, when a military court in Congo sentenced 27 soldiers to death for “cowardice” after they pulled back from the frontline during fighting against AFC/M23 rebels.
The latest trial comes as clashes continue in eastern Congo between government forces and the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the M23, according to local sources.
The proceedings at the Goma Garrison Military Court in North Kivu province covered more than 70 soldiers. Four were acquitted and one received a 10-year prison term, a UN-run radio station reported.
Judges handed down the verdicts after finding the defendants guilty of “munity, disobeying orders, and cowardice” in the face of the enemy, the report said.
The convicted men serve in the 3415th regiment of the Congolese army. They were reportedly detained on Oct. 20 in Walikale territory, where the alleged offenses took place.
The army said the trial was meant, in part, to tighten discipline within its ranks as a security crisis grips eastern Congo.
The ruling follows a similar one in October, when a military court in Congo sentenced 27 soldiers to death for “cowardice” after they pulled back from the frontline during fighting against AFC/M23 rebels.
The latest trial comes as clashes continue in eastern Congo between government forces and the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the M23, according to local sources.
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