The Military High Court has postponed to January 28, the verdict ruling for the 38 persons belonging to the P5 militia, an outfit that was allegedly behind the deadly 2019 attacks against the civilians in Kinigi sector, Musanze district. The ruling had earlier been scheduled to take place on January 7. The attacks in question took place on the night of October 15, when armed assailants invaded a village, killing 15 people, injuring 14 others, and looted and destroyed property. In a counter operation that the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) carried out in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, several assailants were killed while others were arrested and brought to face justice. In addition to these, there are some that were repatriated from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), having been captured during operations that UN peacekeepers and the Congolese carried out against armed groups operating in the country. Their trial in substance started started in May last year. The defendants face multiple counts ranging from murder and being part of a terror group, to armed robbery and battery among others. Some of them directly took part in the attacks, while others claim they had remained at their rear base in the DRC when the incursion took place. In earlier hearings, military prosecution called for life sentences for all of them. In addition to this, the victims of the attacks are seeking a combined Rwf105,030,000 in compensation from the assailants, for the losses they incurred in the attacks. The victims include those who lost loved ones, those who were injured, those who lost property, among others.
