'Unacceptable': 8 DR Congo soldiers arrested for mutilating corpse

KIGALI, Rwanda

Eight soldiers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) have been arrested for mutilating the dead body of a rebel killed in a recent operation, an official confirmed on Friday.

The arrests come days after videos circulating on social media showed the soldiers brandishing the severed head of a dead militiaman and wanting to burn his body.

The soldiers are from the Republican Guard, an elite unit of the FARDC.

They were arrested in Djugu in the eastern Ituri province, where they had been conducting combat operations for several months, according to Lt. Gen. Johnny Luboya N’kashama, the provincial military governor.

“Combat soldiers must be aware of the rules of war … This is unacceptable in our army. When you neutralize an enemy you must respect his body, according to the rules,” he said, adding that the soldiers will be prosecuted for their actions.

The DR Congo launched a major military operation against armed groups in the eastern part of the country in 2019.

Militias of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) armed group are known to operate in Djugu.