381 Congolese soldiers sentenced to death since 2025
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 24 Heure Info
According to a tally reported by the press, Congolese military justice has sentenced at least 507 soldiers since 2025, including 381 to death, following eight major trials. The latest ruling, of 6 November, sentenced 66 soldiers to death in Walikale, North Kivu, by the military court of the Goma garrison.
The military court of the Goma garrison, sitting in Walikale, in North Kivu, sentenced 66 soldiers of the Congolese army to death on Friday 6 November 2026. They were prosecuted for "cowardice in the face of the enemy", "military revolt" and "refusal to obey orders". The events date back to 20 October in Ntoto, where an intervention by military police, who had set up a checkpoint to intercept soldiers returning from the front, degenerated into an armed clash, leaving one soldier and one civilian dead. After twelve days of hearings, a sergeant was sentenced to ten years in prison and four soldiers were acquitted.
Since the start of 2025, at least 507 soldiers have been sentenced following eight major trials, including 381 to death, according to a tally reported by the press. In 2026, the total stands at 237 convictions, including 114 to death, across six proceedings. In Uvira, in South Kivu, 45 soldiers were sentenced to death; in Beni, three officers received the death penalty for desertion and violating orders; in Kisangani, 58 soldiers from the same regiment as those tried in Walikale were sentenced to three years in prison.
