Congo Military Court Sentences 66 Soldiers to Death for Cowardice

The Goma Garrison Military Court, sitting in Walikale in North Kivu, handed down the verdicts late on Nov. 6, according to a statement from the 34th Military Region reported by the Congolese Press Agency.

The 66 condemned men all belonged to the 3415th Regiment of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A sergeant received a 10-year prison term after the court found substantial mitigating circumstances. Four of the 71 defendants were acquitted, including the captain who headed the regiment’s intelligence unit.

Soldiers Accused of Fleeing the Front

The troops were arrested on Oct. 20 in the village of Ngora over alleged offenses in Ntonto, in Walikale territory, the military statement said. They were accused of abandoning their positions and fleeing during clashes with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, a rebel coalition that includes the M23 group.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for 70 of the 71 defendants, according to Radio Okapi and other local reports. The trial, heard under an expedited procedure, lasted 12 days.

The army said the proceedings were meant to tighten discipline as government forces battle armed groups in the east. Major Dieudonné Kasereka, the 34th Military Region’s spokesman, said the charges were needed to reinforce discipline in North Kivu and South Kivu, Deutsche Welle reported.

Walikale remains a theater of fighting between the Congolese army and M23, with government troops backed by Wazalendo militias. The army’s campaign has long been undercut by poor discipline and disorganization, while soldiers have complained of low pay and inadequate equipment.

Death Sentences Mount After Moratorium Ends

In March 2024, Kinshasa lifted a 20-year moratorium on the death penalty, citing the need to remove “traitors” within the army. The government said capital punishment would also apply to people involved in armed groups, insurrection, treason and war crimes. Rights groups criticized the move. No formal executions have been carried out since the moratorium was lifted, the BBC reported.

Last month, 27 other soldiers were sentenced to death on similar cowardice charges after reportedly withdrawing from the front line during clashes with rebels.

Since the beginning of 2025, at least 507 soldiers have been convicted, including 381 death sentences, according to figures compiled by French broadcaster RFI.

Former president Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia in October 2025 on charges including war crimes and treason, which he denied. He has since been named as the FRN’s leader, the BBC reported. Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing M23, an allegation Kigali and the rebels deny. The group has continued to launch attacks despite a U.S.-brokered deal, and authorities in South Kivu earlier this year reported mass graves found after an M23 withdrawal.