BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — A military tribunal in the eastern city of Beni has delivered a severe verdict, sentencing fourteen individuals—including six Ugandan nationals—to death for their roles in a series of armed robberies that netted over $100,000.
The verdict, handed down on Friday evening, concludes a week-long trial that laid bare the deepening insecurity plaguing the conflict-ridden region. Alongside the six Ugandans, the court also condemned eight Congolese citizens, four of whom are women, to capital punishment.
The group was found guilty of criminal association and qualified theft, charges stemming from a violent spree targeting shops, cooperatives, and money transfer outlets in and around Beni between April and August of this year.
According to prosecutors, the gang’s most brazen operation occurred on the night of August 8-9. The assailants looted the Païdek cooperative, making off with a massive haul of more than $100,000 and 76 million Congolese francs (approximately $27,500).
Their freedom was short-lived. Congolese security forces intercepted the group of Ugandan nationals the very next day as they attempted to cross back into Uganda.
The trial and its harsh sentences underscore the Congolese government’s stated intent to crack down on lawlessness in the east, where numerous armed groups and criminal networks operate with impunity. The use of the death penalty, while often passed in such rulings, is frequently commuted to life imprisonment in the DRC.
