UN calls for fair trial for rogue DRC soldier

The UN mission in the DRC has called for a fair trial for an army officer who allegedly deserted and led a rebellion against the state. ‘We are calling for the holding of a fair trial for Mr John Tshibangu,’ UN spokesperson Florence Marchal said. A report on the News24 site notes that this followed his extradition from Tanzania. Justice Minister Alexis Mwamba said the 48-year-old would face ‘a trial in a few weeks or months’. Tshibangu deserted to rebel against President Joseph Kabila in 2012. In a video posted on social media on 18 January, he said he would ‘remove’ the President within 45 days unless he apologised for a crackdown that left at least nine dead following a 31 December street protest.