A military court in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sentenced 22 soldiers to death for "fleeing the enemy" while battling M23 rebels.

Sixteen soldiers were sentenced to death in one case in the North Kivu region and six more in another, only days after 25 soldiers obtained a similar verdict.

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC court

The newest sentences came after M23 rebels, whom Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting, captured fresh territory on the northern front of the fighting in the North Kivu region, which has lasted two and a half years.

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A military court in North Kivu sentenced 16 people in a single instance. The prosecution requested that 22 people in the case be sentenced to death.

The court sentenced three defendants to 10 years in jail and acquitted three others.

PHOTO | COURTESY soldiers

In a second case heard on Monday in North Kivu, six of the seven defendants were condemned to death, while one was acquitted, according to lawyer Jules Muvweko.

According to attorneys, a court condemned 25 soldiers to death last Wednesday after a one-day trial for 'fleeing the enemy'.

Since the end of 2021, the M23 rebels have seized significant areas of land in the region, practically surrounding the provincial capital of Goma.