A military tribunal in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sentenced six Ugandan nationals and eight Congolese citizens — including four women — to death after finding them guilty of criminal association and qualified theft. The ruling follows a week-long trial that highlighted rising insecurity in the volatile region.
According to prosecutors, the gang operated between April and August 2025, targeting shops, cooperatives, and money transfer outlets. Their boldest strike came on the night of August 8–9 when they robbed the Païdek cooperative, escaping with more than $100,000 and 76 million Congolese francs.
Security forces intercepted the Ugandans the next day as they attempted to cross back home. Authorities recovered $54,350 and 36 million francs from the suspects. While the tribunal imposed the Ugandans death penalty for criminal association, it added 10-year prison sentences for theft charges. Two minors were acquitted, while in a separate case, another man was sentenced to death for armed robbery.
The DRC retains capital punishment, though executions have not been carried out since 2003, creating a de facto moratorium. Still, death sentences remain common, especially in military courts tackling organized crime and armed violence. In 2024, Kinshasa even signaled intentions to resume executions to deter insurgencies in the east.
Uganda also maintains the death penalty in law, though no executions have occurred in over 20 years. In 2019, its Supreme Court struck down the mandatory death penalty, granting judges more discretion.
The Beni region has long suffered violence linked to armed groups, including the Ugandan-origin Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Persistent insecurity has displaced more than 500,000 people since early 2025, with humanitarian agencies warning of worsening instability.
The sentencing of the six Ugandans adds a new dimension to regional tensions, raising questions about cross-border crime, justice, and the future of capital punishment in Central and East Africa.