DR Congo sentences 66 soldiers to death for being ‘cowards’

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a military court in Walikale, North Kivu province, has sentenced 66 soldiers to death for cowardice, mutiny, and refusing to obey orders. This follows a trial of 71 soldiers, with four acquitted and another receiving a 10-year prison sentence. The trial aimed to improve discipline among troops as they fight armed groups in eastern DR Congo, a region plagued by decades of conflict between government forces and the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition.

The Congolese army has long struggled with poor discipline and disorganisation, and the government has accused neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the M23 group, a charge both Kigali and the rebels deny. The reinstatement of the death penalty in DR Congo in March 2024, citing the need to remove "traitors" within the army, has been widely criticized by rights groups, though no executions have been carried out since the moratorium was lifted.

Since the beginning of 2025, at least 507 soldiers have been convicted, including 381 death sentences.

Brief written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.