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A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 66 soldiers to death after convicting them of mutiny, disobeying orders and cowardice, local media reported on Sunday.
The verdict was delivered at the Goma Garrison Military Court in North Kivu province following a trial involving more than 70 soldiers, according to Radio Okapi, a UN-backed broadcaster.
Four defendants were acquitted, while another was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the report said.
The convicted soldiers belong to the 3415th regiment of the Congolese army and were arrested on October 20 in Walikale territory, where they were accused of committing the offences.
The army said the trial was partly intended to reinforce discipline within the armed forces as government troops face a prolonged security crisis in the country’s east.
The latest sentences follow a similar ruling in October, when another military court sentenced 27 soldiers to death for cowardice after they withdrew from the front line during fighting against the AFC/M23 rebel group.
Eastern Congo has been gripped by years of conflict involving government forces and armed groups, including the M23 movement, which has seized territory in North Kivu and neighbouring areas.
The latest trial took place amid continued clashes between government troops and the rebel coalition, according to local reports.
