Congo army desertion trials spotlight a force in tatters

3/3/2025 19:42

Congolese soldiers in a mix of fatigues and street clothes crowded into a chapel last week to stand trial for crimes including rape and murder allegedly

committed as they fled in the face of a lightning rebel advance.



Their statements during the court martial proceedings highlighted the dysfunction of an army that has now lost more territory in eastern Congo than ever before to Rwanda-backed M23 fighters, though its woes go well beyond the rank and file.



Testimony collected from quick-fire trials of more than 300 soldiers, interviews with three senior army officers and a confidential U.N. memo seen by Reuters paint a grim picture of a fighting force hobbled by entrenched problems such as poor pay and corruption that reform efforts have failed to resolve.



The chaos of the past few weeks has further strained the army's weak chain of command, raising risks of abuses committed against civilians, said the confidential U.N. memo providing an update on the fighting.