KIGALI, Rwanda
A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced to death a former commander of the Republican Guard unit for his role in the killing of more than 50 protesters in eastern Goma city in August this year.
Colonel Mike Mikombe, who headed the Republican Guard unit in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, was convicted of “murder, attempted murder and destruction of weapons” in a ruling announced late Monday.
The court “condemns Mikombe Mike to the death penalty and orders his dismissal from the armed forces of the DRC,” it said.
On Sept. 6, the North Kivu Military Court began the trial of Mikombe and five other Republican Guard soldiers, including two senior officers.
Three more soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while two others were acquitted.
The victims were reportedly killed during an army raid on a gathering of a religious sect called Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations on Aug. 30, who were protesting the presence of the UN peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO and regional forces from East African Community member states in the country.
Col. Mikombe was the key suspect, according to the prosecution, who led the unit of the Republican Guard that shot civilians.
