DR Congo Court Sentences 26 Rebel Leaders to Death, Including Former Election Chief

A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sentenced 26 individuals to death, including prominent figures linked to armed groups. The verdict comes after a high-profile trial that began on July 24, 2024. Among those convicted is Corneille Nangaa, former president of the DRC’s electoral commission. He was found guilty of war crimes, treason, and participating in an insurrection.

Nangaa, who launched the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) in December, was uniting armed groups, political factions, and civil society against the government. The AFC includes members of the notorious M23 rebel group, known for mass killings in the DRC’s eastern region. Nangaa, along with 20 others, was sentenced in absentia. Nangaa has criticised the court’s decision from an undisclosed location.

Via a text message to The Associated Press news agency, he said: “This nauseating judicial saga reinforces our struggle for democratic normality in Congo”.

The trial also saw the sentencing of five other defendants who were present. They were given five days to appeal the ruling. The prosecution had sought death sentences for 25 of the defendants and a 20-year prison term for one.

This sentencing occurs against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the DRC, where President Felix Tshisekedi and international experts have accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23 group—a claim Rwanda denies.

The M23 figures on trial include its president, Bertrand Bisimwa, military chief, Sultani Makenga and spokespeople Willy Ngoma and Lawrence Kanyuka.

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