BY Claire Mom
Mike Mikombe, an army colonel, has been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the killing of over 50 civilians in August.
Mikombe, ex-commander of the elite Republican Guard in Goma city, had been accused of giving orders to open fire on protesters who were demanding the withdrawal 0f United Nations (UN) troops in the country.
Eastern DRC has been ravaged by militia violence for three decades, a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.
The UN peacekeeping mission there, known by its initials MONUSCO, is one of the largest and costliest in the world, with an annual budget of about $1 billion.
However, many locals have often criticised MONUSCO, saying it is too passive about preventing conflict and have demanded its withdrawal.
Last year, dozens were killed in anti-UN protests, including four peacekeepers.
In August, at least 43 people were killed and a further 53 injured when protesters clashed with local authorities.
According to the DRC government, the protesters “carried out actions that undermined public order,” and that law enforcement intervened to “restore tranquility and serenity in the city”.
Over 150 people were arrested, including the leader of the group which organised the protests.
Goma authorities launched an inquiry into the incident and ordered the justice ministry to “gather evidence” after the UN rights office demanded an investigation.
After weeks of investigation, Mikombe was accused of instructing his soldiers to open fire on the protesters.
The colonel said he had been misled by an operational order identifying the sect members as proxies of the M23 rebel group, which had captured large swathes of territory in North Kivu province last year.
The death sentence is often handed down in DR Congo but no executions have taken place in more than 20 years. The sentences tend to be commuted to life imprisonment.
Mikombe’s lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.
Meanwhile, DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi has called on UN troops to begin leaving the country this year.
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