Rebel Commander And 25 Others Are Sentenced To Death By A Congolese Court

After a high-profile televised trial that began late last month, a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentenced 25 people—including the head of a rebel coalition—to death on Thursday.

The commander of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, or AFC, Corneille Nangaa, was convicted of treason, war crimes, and involvement in an insurrection. Naanga and the other nineteen defendants who received death sentences were not present at the trial since they are currently fugitives.

“Our fight for democratic normalcy in Congo is strengthened by this disgusting court case,” Nangaa texted the Associated Press from an unidentified location.

Nangaa established the AFC, a political-military movement, in December with the intention of bringing together political parties, armed groups, and civil society to oppose the government of the Congo. The M23, an armed organization accused of mass massacres during the long-running conflict in eastern Congo, is one of its most well-known members.

President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo and experts from the United States and the United Nations charge that neighboring Rwanda is providing military support to M23. Although Rwanda disputes the accusation, it pointed to a concentration of Congolese military close to the border in February and essentially acknowledged having troops and missile systems in the eastern Congo to protect its security.