A military court in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 66 soldiers to death on charges of cowardice, mutiny and disobeying orders after they allegedly abandoned their positions during clashes with rebels, local media and military statements reported.
The Goma Garrison Military Court, sitting in Walikale in North Kivu province, handed down the verdicts late on November 6 following a trial of 71 members of the army’s 3415th Regiment. Four soldiers were acquitted, including a captain who headed the regiment’s intelligence unit, while a sergeant received a 10-year prison term after the court found substantial mitigating circumstances.
Acp
The troops were arrested on October 20 in Ngora village over alleged offences in nearby Ntonto, in Walikale territory. Military authorities accused them of abandoning their posts and fleeing during fighting with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the M23 group.
BBC
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for 70 of the defendants and a 10-year sentence for an intelligence officer. The army said the proceedings aimed to reinforce discipline among troops battling armed groups in the restive east.
“The Goma Garrison Military Court, sitting as a court of first instance in criminal proceedings, sentenced 66 soldiers to death,” a statement from the 34th Military Region said, according to the Congolese Press Agency. “They were all prosecuted for cowardice, military mutiny and disobedience.”
Acp
Major Dieudonne Kasereka, a regional army communications officer, said the charges were necessary to strengthen discipline in North Kivu and South Kivu, where government forces have long struggled against poorly equipped ranks, low morale and organisational shortcomings while confronting multiple armed groups.
Eastern DR Congo has faced decades of conflict. The army’s campaign against the M23 and other groups has repeatedly been hampered by discipline problems. DR Congo lifted a long-standing moratorium on the death penalty in 2024, arguing tougher measures were needed against treason and serious military offences. Human rights groups have criticised the move. No executions have been reported since the moratorium ended.
Since the start of 2025, at least 507 soldiers have been convicted, including 381 death sentences, according to figures compiled by French broadcaster RFI.
