More than 170 death row inmates have been transported from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to a high-security prison in the north of the country where they will be executed, Congolese authorities announced today.
On Sunday, 70 of the convicts were transported, Congolese Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said, joining 102 other prisoners who had already been sent to Angenga prison in the northern province of Mongala.
The men were convicted of armed robbery and are known locally as 'Kulunas' or urban bandits.
They are aged between 18 and 35, Mutamba said in a statement that did not specify when the executions would take place.
Some citizens welcomed the move as a way to restore order and security in the cities, while others are concerned about the risk of human rights abuses and violations.
"We welcome this decision by the minister because it will help put an end to urban crime. After 8 p.m., people cannot move around freely because they are afraid of meeting a 'Kuluna,'" Fiston Kakule, a resident of the eastern city of Goma, told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Espoir Muhinuka, a human rights activist, warned of the possibility of extrajudicial executions and called for strict respect for judicial procedures and fundamental guarantees, as he fears that political pressure could lead to unfair convictions and arbitrary executions.
"The situation in the DR Congo is complex and requires a multidimensional approach. The fight against urban gangs must be accompanied by efforts to combat poverty, unemployment and social exclusion, which are often contributing factors to crime," he said.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola’s neighbor, abolished the death penalty in 1981, but it was reintroduced in 2006. The last execution took place in 2003.
In March 2024, the Congolese government announced the reinstatement of capital punishment for treason by military personnel. In May, eight soldiers were sentenced to death, and in July, 25 more soldiers were convicted of similar crimes.
However, it is not known whether any of them were executed.
