(Reuters) – Congo’s military authorities will commence the trial of at least 75 soldiers on Monday, February 10, 2025, for abandoning their positions in the face of advancing M23 rebels, who are reportedly backed by Rwanda. The soldiers are also accused of committing violence against civilians, including murder and looting, the military prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday.
The United Nations has documented widespread human rights violations following a significant M23 offensive in late January, which led to the capture of Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The violations reportedly include summary executions, gang rape, and sexual slavery.
According to the U.N. human rights office, M23 fighters, Congolese soldiers, and pro-government militias have all been implicated in these abuses. While Congo has not commented on allegations involving its own troops, it has urged the U.N. to investigate violations it attributes to M23 rebels and Rwanda. Rwanda, which denies supporting the M23 group, has rejected any responsibility. M23 rebels have not responded to requests for comment.
Despite declaring a unilateral ceasefire, the Tutsi-led M23 rebels have continued advancing southward toward Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.
Last week, they captured the town of Nyabibwe, located approximately 70 kilometers (40 miles) north of Bukavu. The 75 soldiers now facing trial were arrested for deserting the frontline following Nyabibwe’s fall. They are charged with rape, murder, looting, and insubordination, the military prosecutor’s office told Reuters. Additional soldiers arrested further south on similar charges are expected to join the trial.
A civil society source in Kavumu, a town 35 kilometers north of Bukavu and home to the region’s airport, reported that deserting soldiers had killed 10 people on Friday evening, including seven civilians sitting in a bar.
“Acts of looting by our uncontrolled soldiers who have fled in the face of the enemy are still being recorded,” said Leonidas Tabaro, another civil society leader in the area.
Provincial army spokesman Nestor Mavudisa assured that the rogue soldiers would be held accountable and urged the population to remain calm.
Over the weekend, there was no significant escalation in fighting, though clashes were reported in a national park about 30 kilometers from Bukavu, along with sporadic exchanges of fire in the area.
M23, a well-equipped rebel movement, is the latest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to emerge in Congo’s volatile east. The Congolese government asserts that M23 serves as a proxy for Rwanda, a claim both the rebel group and the Rwandan government deny.
In an effort to ease tensions, African leaders convened a joint summit of Eastern and Southern African blocs last week, calling for direct negotiations among all parties involved. On Sunday, Congo’s government acknowledged the summit’s resolutions.
