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.