A military court in Congo sentenced 25 individuals, including Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), to death on Thursday following a widely watched, high-profile trial that began late last month.
Nangaa, who was found guilty of war crimes, insurrection, and treason, along with 19 other defendants sentenced in absentia, remains on the run. Speaking to the Associated Press from an undisclosed location, Nangaa condemned the court’s decision, calling it a “nauseating judicial saga” that strengthens the AFC’s struggle for democratic normality in Congo.
The AFC, a political-military movement formed by Nangaa in December, seeks to unite armed groups, political factions, and civil society against the Congolese government. Among its most notorious members is the M23, an armed group implicated in mass killings in eastern Congo’s protracted conflict.
Congo’s President, Felix Tshisekedi, alongside U.S. and U.N. experts, has accused neighbouring Rwanda of providing military support to M23, a claim Rwanda denies. However, in February, Rwanda acknowledged the presence of its troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, citing security concerns linked to a build-up of Congolese forces near its border.
The court’s ruling against Nangaa comes on the heels of a ceasefire agreement between Congo and Rwanda, mediated by Angola. Although the ceasefire took effect on Sunday, there is little optimism, as previous truces have collapsed within weeks, and fighting has already resumed near the Ugandan border.
Yvon Muya, a conflict studies researcher at Saint Paul University, suggests that Nangaa’s death sentence may be intended to provide Congo with leverage in potential future negotiations with Rwanda or the armed groups.
The conflict in eastern Congo, now decades old, has created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups vying for land and control of mineral-rich mines. Many of these groups have been accused of committing mass killings, rape, and other human rights abuses.
The violence has displaced approximately seven million people, forcing thousands into temporary camps, with many others beyond the reach of humanitarian aid.
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