DR Congo soldiers sentenced to death for fleeing battle
By Yassin Kombi
BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 4 (Reuters) -Twenty-five soldiers have been sentenced to death by a military tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo for fleeing battles against M23 rebels and theft, their lawyer and an army spokesman said on Thursday.
Congo's army has been fighting the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency for more than two years, as well as facing other militia violence, with around 2.7 million people displaced within North Kivu province. The rebels advanced into strategically important territory last week.
On Tuesday, the army detained 27 soldiers after they abandoned their positions in the villages of Keseghe and Matembe in the province. Army spokesman Reagan Mbuyi Kalonji said the runaways were found stealing goods from shops in the nearby village of Alimbongo.
They were detained along with four of their wives, who were staying in the village and who received the looted goods, Kalonji said.
A military tribunal was set up in Alimbongo on Wednesday to try them and the magistrate sentenced 25 to death for theft, fleeing the enemy and violating orders, among other charges.
One soldier was handed a 10-year prison sentence while the four wives and another soldier were acquitted.
All denied the charges, aside from one of the 25, who pleaded guilty.
Their lawyer, Jules Muvweko, said he would appeal the verdict.
Congo's military, long blighted with internal divisions, insufficient resources, poor logistics and the country's endemic corruption, has become acutely dysfunctional in this crisis.
Eight officers were sentenced to death in May for cowardice and other crimes, exposing damaging disarray in Congo's armed forces which has been hobbling the fight against M23, army officers told Reuters.
Congo lifted a moratorium on the death penalty in March, citing treachery and espionage in recurring armed conflicts as the reason.
The central African country had introduced the moratorium on the death penalty in early 2000, but had never abolished it.
Reporting by Yassin Kombi; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by David Holmes
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
