Soldiers sentenced to death in DR Congo for fleeing fighting

A military tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced at least 25 soldiers to death, local media reported.

They are accused of fleeing battles against M23 rebels and theft, their lawyer and an army spokesman said on Thursday.

Congo’s army has been fighting the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency for more than two years, as well as facing other militia violence, with around 2.7 million people displaced within North Kivu province.

The rebels advanced into strategically important territory last week.