A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced 66 soldiers to death for alleged cowardice, mutiny, and refusing to obey orders. The verdicts followed a 12-day trial of 71 soldiers in Walikale, North Kivu province, where four were acquitted and one received a 10-year prison sentence. The soldiers were arrested on October 20 after being accused of abandoning their positions during clashes with the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the Rwanda-backed M23 group.
The Congolese army stated the trial aimed to improve military discipline amid ongoing fighting in eastern DR Congo. The region has faced decades of conflict, with government forces battling armed groups including the FRN and M23. In early October, 27 other soldiers were sentenced to death on similar charges after reportedly withdrawing from the frontline.
Since March 2024, DR Congo has enforced a reinstated death penalty to address what authorities describe as "treason" within the military. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have criticized the justice system’s adherence to fair trial standards. No executions have been carried out under the reinstated penalty, though 381 soldiers currently face death sentences.
The Congolese military has faced persistent criticism over poor discipline and disorganization, with soldiers citing inadequate pay and equipment as contributing factors. The government has repeatedly accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, a claim both Kigali and the rebels deny despite reported evidence. The FRN, led by former President Joseph Kabila, has been active in the region, with Kabila himself sentenced to death in absentia in September 2025 on charges including war crimes and treason.
The United States has sought to broker peace in the country, with improved security potentially benefiting American firms interested in the DR Congo’s mineral deposits.