A Congolese prosecutor on Monday requested death sentences against 25 defendants accused of belonging to the M23 rebel group in a high-profile trial in Kinshasa.
The prosecution called for a 20-year jail term against a 26th defendant.
The Tutsi-led M23 has seized huge swathes of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since late 2021.
Only five of the accused are present for the trial in a military court, with the rest on the run. They face charges of war crimes, participation in an insurrection and treason.
Prominent figure
The most prominent is Corneille Nangaa, a former president of the Congolese electoral commission.
In December, he announced in Nairobi the creation of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a political-military movement of rebel groups including the M23.
Other major M23 figures are on trial including its president Bertrand Bisimwa, military chief Sultani Makenga and spokesmen Willy Ngoma and Lawrence Kanyuka.
Yet none of the five defendants in court are widely known.
'Injustice in country'
Two admitted being members of the AFC. One of them, Nkangya Nyamacho, alias "Microbe", told the court he joined the AFC "because there is injustice and discrimination in this country".
The defendant against whom the prison sentence was requested maintained he was innocent, saying he was arbitrarily arrested due to his surname Nangaa.
The trial opened last week with 25 defendants, of whom 20 were on the run, but a former M23 spokesman has also been charged.
The defence is expected to make their case on Tuesday.
'Fleeing the enemy'
In March, the Congolese government defied criticism from human rights organisations and lifted a moratorium on the death penalty that had been in place since 2003, aiming to target military personnel accused of treason.
Around 50 soldiers have been sentenced to the death penalty in the east of the country since the start of the month for "cowardice" and "fleeing the enemy".
The M23 is just one of dozens of rebel groups active in the DRC's restive east, many the legacy of the regional conflict that erupted from the 1990s onwards after the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko.
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