Trial begins for 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape and other crimes against civilians The trial of 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape and other crimes against civilians in the country’s conflict-battered east opened Monday.
On Thursday, the rebels were advancing into South Kivu province and were 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Bukavu, according to Nene Bintou, president of the civil society in the province.
“They turned their weapons against the civilian population that they were supposed to protect, while the enemy was at our doors,” Mupenda told The Associated Press, adding that more accused soldiers will be brought to trial in the coming days.
The soldiers are accused of having broken into civilian homes in several villages of the Kabare and Kalehe territories in the eastern province of South Kivu over the weekend.
The accused soldiers were brought before a military court in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu, on Monday.
