A major military crackdown is unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 66 soldiers have been handed death sentences for allegedly abandoning their posts, disobeying orders and engaging in mutiny during battles against rebel forces in the country’s volatile east.
The verdict followed the trial of 71 military personnel before a military court in Walikale, North Kivu province. Four soldiers were acquitted, while another received a 10-year prison sentence.
The army says the proceedings are part of efforts to restore discipline and strengthen its fighting capacity against armed groups operating in the region.
The accused soldiers were reportedly arrested on October 20 after allegedly abandoning their positions and fleeing during confrontations with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, a rebel coalition that includes the M23 movement.
The ruling comes amid a prolonged security crisis in eastern DR Congo, where government troops continue to battle armed groups, particularly the M23-led rebel coalition.
The conflict has exposed persistent weaknesses within the Congolese military, including poor coordination, inadequate equipment and complaints from soldiers over low wages and difficult working conditions.
Kinshasa has repeatedly accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing M23, an allegation Kigali and the rebels deny.
The latest verdicts also follow the sentencing of another 27 Congolese soldiers to death in October over similar allegations of abandoning the frontline during clashes with rebels.
The growing number of military convictions reflects the government’s increasingly hardline approach to enforcing discipline as fighting intensifies in the east.
DR Congo reinstated the death penalty in March 2024, ending a 20-year suspension. The government said the decision was necessary to tackle treason and other serious offences within the military, but human rights organisations condemned the move, warning of potential abuses and the risk of unfair trials.
Figures compiled by French broadcaster RFI indicate that at least 507 soldiers have been convicted since the beginning of 2025, with 381 receiving death sentences.
Despite the reinstatement of capital punishment, no formal executions have been reported since the moratorium was lifted.
The latest sentences therefore raise fresh concerns about the use of capital punishment within the armed forces, even as DR Congo struggles to contain the insurgency and restore stability across its conflict-hit eastern territories.
