Kinshasa, 05 May 2014: MONUSCO takes note of the ruling that was passed on Monday 5 May in Goma by the “Cour militaire opérationnelle du Nord-Kivu” (Military Operational Court of North-Kivu) against 39 soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), who were charged with rape and other crimes committed in Minova and surrounding localities during the month of November 2012.

In accordance with the procedures before the Military Operational Court of North-Kivu, the ruling was passed as a final judgment whereas international standards and the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo guarantee the right to appeal.

Recalling the scope and severity of the crimes committed in Minova in 2012, including numerous rapes, MONUSCO acknowledges the efforts to bring the trial to an end and will carefully consider the reasons for the judgment condemning 25 FARDC soldiers: two of them for rape, one for murder and twenty-two for looting and disobedience. Thirteen officers were acquitted.