Six army officers have been accused in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for allegedly taking part in the massacre of scores of people during a protest against the United Nations last week in the country’s east.
The six commanders, including a colonel and a lieutenant-colonel who command the Congolese Armed Forces, were put on trial by military prosecutors in the city of Goma on Tuesday. According to the charges against them, they committed “crimes against humanity by murder, malicious destruction, and inciting soldiers to commit acts contrary to duty or discipline.”
According to Reuters, which cited a source close to the president, the two senior officers, Colonel Mike Mikombe and Lieutenant-Colonel Donatien Bawili, were in charge of the troops that opened fire on Wazalendo religious sect members last Wednesday during their protest against the presence of UN peacekeepers in the North Kivu province.
The court was informed by military prosecutor Michel Kashil that the soldiers “acted in isolation and not within the framework of their sovereign missions.”
According to Kashil, “This was not a state action,” according to Reuters.
The trial heard testimony from the prosecution claiming at least 56 people were killed and another 75 were injured, compared to the Congolese government’s prior estimate of 43 fatalities. The death toll had reached 100, according to a coalition of youth organisations called COJESKI-RDC, which made the announcement to the media on Monday.
MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping force in Goma, has come under fire for allegedly failing to shield the inhabitants from decades of militia bloodshed.
In the East African nation’s cities of Goma and Butembo in July of last year, a violent protest against MONUSCO resulted in at least 15 fatalities, including members of the UN staff, and about 50 injuries.
Since November 2021, when it had more than 12,000 soldiers and 1,600 police officers stationed all around the nation, MONUSCO has somewhat decreased its presence. However, despite the international presence intended to combat them, tensions remain high as militia groups, including some linked to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), continue to assault civilians.
According to a prosecutor, the soldiers’ assault on protesters last week was not authorised by the state and was instead a one-off.
