22 soldiers sentenced to death for desertion
In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been shaken by violence, 22 soldiers have been sentenced to death for desertion. A lawyer from the news agency AFP reported that in a single case in the North-Kivu province, the death penalty was imposed on 16 soldiers, while six more soldiers were sentenced to death in other cases. A few days ago, the death penalty had already been imposed in 25 other cases.
The lawyer stated that he would appeal the verdicts.
Since the end of 2021, government forces and rebels from the Movement for the 23rd of March (M23) have been clashing in the North-Kivu province. According to Kinshasa, the United Nations, and Western countries, Rwanda is supporting the M23 rebels, which the government in Kigali denies.
In the past week, M23 rebels, who control wide areas around the capital city of North-Kivu, Goma, reportedly gained territory.
The eastern part of the DR Congo, rich in natural resources, has been plagued by violence since the wars of the 1990s. The conflicts reignited about two and a half years ago when the M23 rebels began to conquer large parts of the country.
According to UN estimates, by the end of 2023, nearly seven million people in the DR Congo were displaced, with over 2.8 million in the North-Kivu province alone.
- The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically in the North-Kivu province, has driven some soldiers to desert their posts, contributing to the instability in the area.
- Despite the harsh sentences issued for desertion, there have been rumors of soldiers fleeing from the government forces in the Congo Desert, further exacerbating the security situation.
- Armed groups in the Congo, such as the M23 rebels, have been benefiting from desertions within the Democratic Republic of Congo's army, which can lead to a weakening of the government's control over certain territories.
