The trial of 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape, and other crimes against civilians in the war-torn east of the country opened Monday in a military court.
The soldiers allegedly broke into civilian homes across multiple villages in the Kabare and Kalehe territories of South Kivu province over the weekend, killing at least 12 people and raping several women, according to Pascal Mupenda, a lawyer representing civilian victims.
“They turned their weapons against the civilian population they were supposed to protect, while the enemy was at our doors,” Mupenda told the Associated Press, adding that more soldiers will face trial in the coming days.
The accused appeared before a military court in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. Prosecutors have requested the death penalty for all defendants. The Democratic Republic of Congo lifted a 20-year moratorium on capital punishment in March, a move widely criticized by human rights organizations. The country’s last execution took place in 2003.
Zawadi Chapo Ombeni, a resident of Kavumu, recounted being beaten and robbed by soldiers while trying to flee an advancing rebel offensive.
“We were robbed by military personnel known by the state, that are serving the state,” Ombeni said in a phone interview. “We ask the state to compensate us because everything we had was taken away by these military personnel.”
The trial takes place amid escalating violence in South Kivu, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been making significant territorial gains. The rebels, who recently captured the strategic city of Goma in neighboring North Kivu province, have been engaged in intense fighting with Congolese forces. Since late January, at least 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured.
Last week, M23 rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid, but the Congolese government dismissed the announcement as “false communication.”
The United Nations has accused Rwanda of deploying 4,000 troops to support M23, making it the most powerful among more than 100 armed groups operating in eastern Congo. The region is rich in minerals crucial for global technology production.
On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council launched a commission to investigate atrocities committed by both the Congolese army and M23 rebels since the beginning of the year. The inquiry will focus on reports of mass rapes, summary executions, and other war crimes.
