Trial begins for 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape and other crimes

The trial of 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape and other crimes against civilians in the country’s conflict-battered east opened Monday.

The soldiers are accused of having broken into civilian homes in several villages of the Kabare and Kalehe territories in the eastern province of South Kivu over the weekend, raping several women and killing at least 12 people.

The accused soldiers were brought before a military court in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu, on Monday.

The civil party requested the death penalty for all of the accused.

Congo lifted a more than 20-year moratorium on the death penalty in March, a decision criticized by rights activists.

The last execution took place in 2003.

Zawadi Chapo Ombeni, a resident of Kavumu, said he was beaten and robbed by soldiers as he was preparing to flee the village from the rebels' advances.

The trial comes as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been making significant gains in South Kivu in recent weeks after having captured the key city of Goma in the neighboring North Kivu province.

Some 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured since late January.