DRC Military Court Sentences Officers Who Fled During Goma Capture

Kinshasa, December 8, 2025 - The High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced senior officers who fled when AFC/M23 rebels captured the city of Goma in late January 2025.

The officers include Brig Gen Dany Yangba Tene, Brig Gen Papy Lupembe Mopenzo, Commissioner Eddy-Léonard Mukuna, and Jean-Lomuard Ekuka Lipopo, who briefly served as the interim Governor of North Kivu Province following the death of Gen Maj Peter Cirimwami.

Gen Maj Alengbia Nzambe, former commander of the 34th Military District, was also detained but his case was closed after his death in April 2025.

The trial began in March 2025, with the prosecution arguing that the officers had abandoned their posts and fled to areas including Bukavu, leaving junior soldiers behind during the AFC/M23 assault on Goma. The court heard that the officers’ actions contributed to the rebels’ seizure of weapons and military equipment.

The officers defended themselves, stating that their withdrawal to South Kivu Province was a tactical maneuver ordered by the military high command.

The military court convicted the officers of desertion, disobeying orders, and abandoning military equipment, handing down light sentences:

Brig Gen Tene and Brig Gen Lupembe: 1 year in prison each, plus a fine of 2.8 million Congolese francs

The DRC military prosecution had sought 20 years to life imprisonment for the accused.