A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has charged six army officers for their alleged involvement in the killing of dozens of civilians during an anti-United Nations protest in the eastern part of the country last week.
Military prosecutors in the city of Goma put the six officers, including a colonel and a lieutenant-colonel who leads the Congolese Armed Forces, on trial on Tuesday. They are accused of committing “crimes against humanity by murder, malicious destruction, and inciting soldiers to commit acts contrary to duty or discipline.”
The two senior officers, identified as Colonel Mike Mikombe and Lieutenant-Colonel Donatien Bawili, were in command of troops who opened fire on members of the Wazalendo religious sect during their protest against the presence of UN peacekeepers in North Kivu province last Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the presidency.
Military prosecutor Michel Kashil told the court that the soldiers “acted in isolation and not within the framework of their sovereign missions.”
“This was not a state action,” Reuters quoted Kashil as saying.
The Congolese government had previously put the death toll at 43, but prosecutors said at the trial that at least 56 people were killed and another 75 wounded. The Collective of Youth Solidarity Organizations in Congo-Kinshasa (COJESKI-RDC), a coalition of youth associations, told media on Monday that the death toll had reached 100.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Goma, known as MONUSCO, has been subjected to protests over claims that it has failed to protect locals from decades of militia violence.
At least 15 people, including UN personnel, were killed and about 50 injured during a violent demonstration against MONUSCO in the East African country’s cities of Goma and Butembo in July last year.
MONUSCO has reduced its presence to some extent since November 2021, when it had more than 12,000 soldiers and 1,600 police officers stationed throughout the country. Tensions remain high, however, as militia groups, including some affiliated with the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), continue to attack civilians despite the international presence meant to fight them.