On Thursday, the 272 Burundian soldiers who refused to go and fight alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) against the M23, were notified of their judgment. Some were sentenced to life imprisonment. They have two months to appeal this decision. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

These elements of the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force) were classified into four categories. The first category includes first class soldiers and corporals who returned to Burundi by plane. They were sentenced to four years in prison.

The second group is made up of corporals and non-commissioned officers who were also flown to Burundi. They will have to serve a five-year sentence.

Thirdly, there are privates and corporals who were repatriated by boat. They were sentenced to ten years in prison.

The fourth and last group is made up of corporals and non-commissioned officers who also arrived in Burundi by boat.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Only one soldier was sentenced to one year in prison.

Those concerned have two months, starting from February 6, 2025, to appeal this decision.

SOS Médias Burundi had not yet had the number of soldiers who make up each category. Detained in three prisons, namely Ruyigi (east), Bururi and Rumonge (southwest), the 272 elements of the Burundian army are currently gathered at the central prison of Murembwe in Rumonge where the appeal trial took place in December 2024.

The Burundian army is engaged in the war against the M23 in the province of North Kivu (eastern Congo) alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and local militias maintained by Congolese authorities, within the framework of a bilateral partnership between the Burundian and Congolese governments. Several Burundian activists have often denounced « a useless and dangerous involvement of our soldiers in a war that does not concern us ».

But President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Supreme Commander, has always justified « a life-saving mission », stating that it is normal for Burundian soldiers to be killed in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) « because they signed up for that ».

The M23 is a former Tutsi rebellion that took up arms again at the end of 2021, accusing Congolese authorities of not having respected their commitments on the reintegration of its fighters. Congolese authorities remain convinced that it benefits from support from Rwanda, which the Rwandan government continues to dismiss out of hand.