Kisangani Military Court Sentences 58 Soldiers for Refusing to Fight AFC/M23

Kisangani, May 16, 2026 - A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 58 soldiers to three years in prison after convicting them of disobeying military orders during operations against the Alliance Fleuve Congo/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) in eastern Congo.

The ruling was delivered by the Military Court sitting in Kisangani, Tshopo Province, following the trial of 84 soldiers arrested in Pinga, a locality in Walikale Territory, North Kivu Province.

The soldiers were accused of abandoning the battlefield in February 2026 and refusing to continue combat operations unless they received unpaid salaries, allowances and food supplies.

According to military prosecutors, some of the soldiers also fired shots into the air during the protest, actions the prosecution argued amounted to mutiny and posed a threat to national security.

Defense lawyer Patience Yengonane told the court that the soldiers’ actions were linked to poor conditions and failures by the government to meet their needs while deployed on the front lines.

On May 15, the court convicted 58 soldiers of violating military orders and sentenced them to three years in prison, while acquitting 16 others due to insufficient evidence.

The judges also ordered further investigations into 10 additional soldiers accused of abandoning their weapons during the incident. Their cases are expected to return to court after a review by military prosecutors.

The prosecution had initially requested the death penalty for all defendants, arguing that the offenses were extremely serious because they undermined military discipline and security operations against AFC/M23.