The Congolese military court has sentenced a military colonel to death and convicted three soldiers, over the murder of civilian protesters.
The military court condemned the Soldiers who partook in the murder of more than 50 civilians in protest against the United Nations peacekeeping operation earlier this year.
During final arguments on Friday, a lid public prosecutor requested life imprisonment rather than death for the main defendant, Colonel Mike Mikombe.
But the court sentenced Mikombe to death on the basis of “murders,” even though allegations of crimes against humanity were dismissed.
Three more second-class soldiers from the same regiment received 10-year sentences. Two other commanders, including Col. Donat Bawili, who led the Congolese armed forces regiment in Goma at the time, were acquitted.
The six soldiers have been on trial since September 5 for a fatal crackdown on a religious group that had called for protests against the UN’s presence in the region.
According to the most recent government figures, 57 people were murdered in the crackdown, which has heightened tensions in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, a region beset by armed groups’ brutality. 140 persons, including minors, were arrested during the crackdown.
