Fleeing Battlefield, 2 Congolese Soldiers Sentenced To Death

Two soldiers were sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for fleeing fighting in the conflict-torn province of North Kivu.

Congolese troops fought the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency for more than two years, as well as fighting other militias on its eastern border. Rebels seized an important and strategic Tanyabayua communal last week.

The decision comes after the death penalty for 25 soldiers on Thursday this week underscores the authorities' desire to show they will not tolerate the desertion that has put Congo in an unfavorable position in the conflict.

"This trial has a educational character and aims to make soldiers realize that fleeing the line of battle does not protect them, but instead exposes them to severe sanctions," state judge Kahambu Muhasa Melissa told Reuters on Saturday, July 6.

The military court said on Friday, July 5, one of the soldiers, Kakale Mupasula Raphael, left the front line in Kanyabayonga and fled. He was also found guilty of killing the son of an officer.

He pleaded not guilty and denied killing the child. He said he was not alone leaving the front line.

"There were many of our soldiers who fled Kanyabayonga, even our commanders also fled," he told Reuters. He plans to appeal the sentence.

The second soldier was accused of firing an ambulance whose driver refused to accept it when the soldier tried to leave the battlefield.

He pleaded guilty and asked for mitigating circumstances to be considered.

Congo lifted a moratorium on the death penalty that had been in effect for more than 20 years in February for crimes including desertion and betrayal.

"With an inefficient and effective justice system... dire government actions mean many innocent people are now at risk of being executed," Amnesty International warned.