DR CONGO: REBEL LEADER SENTENCED TO DEATH
January 13, 2018: The military court in the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced a rebel leader to death. Guylain Mumbere Kitambala, a Mayi-Mayi leader prosecuted for illegal possession of weapons and participation in an insurgent movement, was sentenced to the “death penalty”, according to a judgment handed down on Janunary 13 in Beni by the Military Court of North Kivu province. His 16 co-accused have been issued sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years in prison. The death penalty has not been applied in the DRC since 2002, due to a moratorium. It’s commuted to prison for life. Mayi-Mayi are self-defence groups formed on an ethnic basis. Eastern DRC, particularly the provinces of North and South Kivu, have been plagued by violence for more than 20 years. (Sources: africanews.com, 14/01/2018)
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