Congo army desertion trials spotlight a force in tatters

Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) deployed to fight M23 rebel militants attend their trial for allegedly abandoning their posts and committing crimes against the civilian population, including theft and rape, at the Musienene military court, in Musienene, Lubero Territory of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere

(Reuters) - Congolese soldiers in a mix of fatigues and street clothes crowded into a chapel last week to stand trial for crimes including rape and murder allegedly committed as they fled in the face of a lightning rebel advance.

Their statements during the court martial proceedings highlighted the dysfunction of an army that has now lost more territory in eastern Congo than ever before to Rwanda-backed M23 fighters, though its woes go well beyond the rank and file.