DRC violated international law by executing 172 young men

Recent execution of 172 young men convicted of armed robbery, locally referred to as "Kuluna" in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raises fundamental questions about the DRC's approach to security governance and its implications for the country's future stability. The country has endured decades of conflict marked by weak governance, and this has created conditions conducive for the rise of criminal gangs such as "Kuluna" that thrive in urban centres plagued by unemployment and poverty.

From a peace and conflict management perspective, the execution raises concerns on systemic flaws in the DRC's security and justice sectors. This signals erosion of trust in the criminal justice system. Public distrust therefore undermines the state's legitimacy. Reports suggest that the young men were denied fair trials and that the judicial process was punctured with loopholes casting serious doubts on the legality of the sentences.