Fifty-eight soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC)who were arrested for fleeing from the enemy, the March 23 Movement/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) rebels, have been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty.
The verdict was delivered on Friday during a military garrison tribunal sitting in Kisangani.
They were arrested after M23 rebels advanced into Walikale in March 2025, forcing FARDC troops to abandon their positions and flee.
They were charged with fleeing from the enemy, mutiny, dissipation of ammunition, and failure to obey military orders.
According to military judicial authorities, the soldiers’ actions undermined military discipline and weakened operations on the battlefield.
In their defense, the soldiers argued that they did not willingly abandon their positions to the M23/AFC rebels, but were compelled to retreat after running out of ammunition and food, and after spending about 18 months without receiving salaries.
During Friday’s ruling, 16 soldiers were acquitted, while 58 were sentenced to three years of penal servitude for violating military orders. Another 10 soldiers were referred to the public prosecutor’s office over the loss of weapons.
Patience Yengonane, the lawyer representing the accused soldiers, said the verdict offered hope for appeal. She says that if the accused had been sentenced to death, it would have been the end for them, adding that the three-year sentence gives us the possibility of appealing and, if possible, even securing an acquittal. She explains that the soldiers had come from Masisi after leaving the front lines at Ngululu 1 and later moved to Ngowa in Walikale to demand their salaries, war bonuses, and food rations.
The verdict comes at a time when M23/AFC rebels, through their spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, are protesting the installation and deployment of heavily armed combat helicopters from Kalemie to support ongoing military strikes in Minembwe and surrounding areas.
Kanyuka claimed that the military reinforcement adds to the arsenal already being used against densely populated areas of Minembwe, including combat drones, heavy artillery, and Sukhoi-25 fighter jets.
He accused the Kinshasa government of carrying out a military campaign intended to “wipe Minembwe off the map” and target civilian populations, alleging that the government enjoys political backing from some countries within the international community. The latest developments have raised fears that the conflict is far from ending.
This is not the first time FARDC soldiers have been handed sentences for fleeing from M23/AFC rebels.
In July 2024, 25 FARDC soldiers were sentenced to death after pleading guilty to fleeing from the enemy following the recent swift advance of the M23/AFC rebels in Lubero territory, specifically in Miriki, Kimaka, Luofu, Kayna, and FARDC’s military camp of Kasando, located about 4 kilometers from Kirumba town.
In March 2025, 55 FARDC soldiers were sentenced to death for fleeing the enemy and looting in Lubero Territory, North Kivu Province.
Sixty-six soldiers had been arrested for pillage along National Road No. 2, specifically in Lubero-Centre, Kimbulu, Musienene, and Butembo, after retreating in the face of advancing M23/AFC rebels.
Their actions reportedly caused public panic in the affected areas. In February 2023, seven FARDC soldiers were also sentenced to death for fleeing from M23 rebels in the Kamuronza groupement in Sake, Masisi territory, North Kivu province.
The M23/AFC rebel group, which re-emerged in 2022 under the leadership of Bertrand Bisimwa and Sultan Emmanuel Makenga, remains actively engaged in fighting government forces.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, allegations denied by both Kigali and M23/AFC leaders. M23/AFC says its armed struggle is aimed at addressing corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the DRC leadership.
In early 2025, the group launched a rapid offensive in eastern Congo, capturing several strategic towns and heightening fears of a wider regional conflict.
SOURCE: URN
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