A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sentenced 66 soldiers to death after convicting them of cowardice, military mutiny and disobeying orders during operations against rebel groups in the country’s conflict-hit eastern region.
The verdict was delivered on Friday, November 6, by the Goma Garrison Military Court sitting in Walikale, North Kivu Province, following a 12-day trial involving 71 soldiers, according to local media reports.
The soldiers, who belong to the 3415th Regiment of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), were accused of abandoning their military positions and fleeing during clashes with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the March 23 Movement (M23).
According to the Congolese news agency ACP, the soldiers were arrested on October 20, 2026, in Ngora village over offences allegedly committed in the Wanianga sector of Walikale territory.
Four soldiers were acquitted, while another, a sergeant, received a 10-year prison sentence after the court considered mitigating circumstances.
The prosecution had reportedly sought the death penalty for 70 of the defendants, while requesting a 10-year prison term for a military intelligence officer. The court ultimately sentenced 66 to death, acquitted four and handed the sergeant a 10-year sentence.
Major Dieudonné Kasereka, communications officer for the FARDC’s 34th Military Region, said the proceedings were intended to strengthen discipline within the armed forces as government troops continue fighting armed groups in eastern Congo.
The trial comes amid persistent fighting between Congolese government forces and the FRN coalition, which includes M23 and the Alliance River Congo (AFC).
The eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu have experienced years of armed conflict, with government forces struggling to contain multiple rebel groups.
The latest verdicts follow another military court ruling in October in which 27 Congolese soldiers were sentenced to death for cowardice after reportedly withdrawing from frontline positions during clashes with AFC/M23 rebels.
Congo reinstated the death penalty in March 2024 after maintaining a moratorium on executions for more than two decades. The government defended the decision as necessary to address treason and other serious offences, particularly within the military.
However, human rights organisations have criticised the use of capital punishment, raising concerns about the fairness of military trials and the possibility of wrongful convictions.
Amnesty International has previously warned that shortcomings in the country’s justice system could expose defendants to unfair proceedings.
The latest sentences add to a growing number of Congolese soldiers facing capital punishment. French broadcaster Radio France Internationale (RFI) estimates that 381 soldiers have been sentenced to death since the beginning of 2025.
It was not immediately clear whether the convicted soldiers would appeal their sentences or when any executions might take place.
