In a courtroom in Walikale, a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 66 soldiers have been condemned to death for cowardice, mutiny and refusing orders, after a trial of 71 men who had fled the front as fighters of the M23-linked FRN coalition pressed forward. The sentences speak to an old wound in a state that has long struggled to hold its own ranks together, where pay is thin, equipment is short, and the penalty for failure has been raised to its gravest form. Whether these verdicts become punishments or remain warnings is a question that the country has not yet answered.
DR Congo Sentences 66 Soldiers to Death for Cowardice, Mutiny and Disobeying Orders
At least 66 soldiers have been sentenced to death, and 381 death sentences have been handed down since the start of 2025 according to RFI figures.
Hundreds of death sentences handed down, and no formal execution yet
Mark
Sixty-six soldiers sentenced to death in one trial. What is the army actually saying this is for?
Mimi
Discipline. The army says the trial was meant to improve it among troops fighting armed groups in the east. The soldiers were accused of abandoning positions and fleeing during clashes with FRN fighters in Walikale.
Mark
Is this a one-off?
Mimi
No. Last month 27 soldiers were sentenced to death on similar cowardice charges. And RFI counts at least 507 soldiers convicted since the start of 2025, with 381 death sentences.
Luke
Worth noting who is counting. The 66 figure comes from local media, and the 381 is RFI's compilation. Neither is an official tally we can check here.
Mark
And the soldiers' side of it?
Mimi
The reporting says soldiers have long complained of poor pay and inadequate equipment. The army has also been criticised for a lack of professionalism, so the discipline problem has a backdrop.
Luke
Careful, though. Those complaints are general, not defences raised at this trial. We don't know what the accused argued in court.
Mark
Have any of these sentences been carried out?
Mimi
Not formally. Congo lifted its 20-year moratorium in March 2024, citing the need to remove traitors from the army, and no formal executions have followed.
Luke
So the open question is whether these are deterrent sentences or a prelude to executions. The reporting doesn't say, and nobody should pretend it does.
Mark
Where does Kabila fit in?
Mimi
He was sentenced to death in absentia in October 2025 for war crimes and treason. He denies it, and he has since been named FRN leader.
Der Puls
- At least 66 soldiers were sentenced to death in Walikale after a 71-man trial over fleeing clashes with FRN rebels.
- The army presents the verdicts as a hard push to restore discipline, while soldiers point to unpaid wages and missing equipment.
- Rights groups condemn the return of capital punishment, which Congo lifted in 2024 after a twenty-year pause.
- Hundreds of death sentences have piled up through 2025, yet no formal execution has followed, leaving the outcome suspended.
In a courtroom in Walikale, a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 66 soldiers have been condemned to death for cowardice, mutiny and refusing orders, after a trial of 71 men who had fled the front as fighters of the M23-linked FRN coalition pressed forward. The sentences speak to an old wound in a state that has long struggled to hold its own ranks together, where pay is thin, equipment is short, and the penalty for failure has been raised to its gravest form. Whether these verdicts become punishments or remain warnings is a question that the country has not yet answered.
A military court in Walikale, in North Kivu province, has sentenced at least 66 soldiers to death for cowardice, mutiny and refusing to obey orders. Seventy-one men stood trial; four were acquitted and one received ten years in prison. The soldiers were arrested on 20 October after reportedly abandoning their positions during clashes with fighters of the FRN, a rebel coalition that includes the M23.
The verdicts are not isolated. Last month, 27 more soldiers were condemned on similar charges after pulling back from the frontline. The army has long struggled with indiscipline and disorganisation, and its soldiers complain of poor pay and inadequate equipment. The government's campaign against the M23 is further complicated by its accusations against Rwanda, which both Kigali and the rebels deny.
The legal basis for these sentences dates to March 2024, when Congo lifted its twenty-year moratorium on the death penalty, claiming the need to purge "traitors" from the army. Rights groups have strongly objected. Still, no formal executions have yet taken place. Figures compiled by RFI show at least 507 soldiers convicted in 2025 so far, 381 of them sentenced to death. The courts have also reached the political sphere, with former President Joseph Kabila sentenced to death in absentia in October 2025, a verdict that came as he was later named leader of the FRN. The central question now is whether any of these sentences will ever be carried out.
A military court in Walikale, a town in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has sentenced at least 66 soldiers to death. According to local media, the charges were cowardice, mutiny and refusing to obey orders.
Seventy-one soldiers stood trial. Four were acquitted, and one received a prison sentence of 10 years. The army said the proceedings were meant to improve discipline among troops fighting armed groups in the east.
The soldiers were reportedly arrested on 20 October in Walikale. They were accused of abandoning their positions and fleeing during clashes with fighters of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, known as the FRN. The FRN is a rebel coalition that includes the M23 group. Fighting between it and government forces continues in a region that has known conflict for decades.
This was not the first such verdict in recent weeks. Last month, another 27 soldiers were sentenced to death on similar cowardice charges, after reportedly withdrawing from the frontline during clashes with rebels.
The army's campaign against armed groups, the M23 among them, has long been undermined by poor discipline and disorganisation in its ranks. It has faced persistent criticism over a lack of professionalism, while soldiers themselves have complained of poor pay and inadequate equipment. The government has repeatedly accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23. Both Kigali and the rebels deny it, despite what the report describes as overwhelming evidence.
The legal ground for these sentences was laid in March 2024, when DR Congo lifted a 20-year moratorium on the death penalty. The government cited the need to remove "traitors" from the army. It said capital punishment would also apply to people involved in armed groups, insurrection, treason and war crimes. Rights groups widely criticised the decision. Even so, no formal executions have been carried out since the moratorium ended.
The scale of the sentencing is considerable. Figures compiled by the French broadcaster RFI show at least 507 soldiers convicted since the start of 2025, including 381 death sentences.
The courts have also reached the political level. In October 2025, former President Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia on charges including war crimes and treason. He denied the accusations but did not appear in court to defend himself. He has since been named as the FRN's leader.
What to watch is whether the sentences are ever carried out. So far, hundreds of death sentences have been handed down while no formal execution has followed the lifting of the moratorium.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The trial was intended to improve discipline among troops as they battle armed groups in eastern DR Congo.— Congolese army (as reported by BBC News)
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