Six people, including two army colonels, were condemned to death by a DR Congo military court on Friday for the murder of two Chinese mine workers.

Four other military personnel were sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Ituri Military Court.

All but one of those receiving the death sentence were members of the military.

The two colonels are accused of planning an attack on a convoy in March, with the aim of stealing four gold bars and $6,000 in cash being transported by the victims, who were returning from a gold mine.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, death penalties are regularly handed down but then systematically commuted to life imprisonment.

"This must serve as an example for the black sheep in the armed forces," Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, spokesman for military operations in the gold-rich Ituri province, told AFP.

Attacks on Chinese-managed mines and Chinese workers are not uncommon in resource-rich eastern DRC, which has been ravaged by militia violence for decades.

Last year, the DRC government placed security officials in charge of the administration of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province in a bid to curb violence. However the measure has failed to stop attacks.

The defence team said they would appeal.

Yellen says China a 'barrier' in African debt relief
Washington (AFP) Oct 14, 2022 - US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused China on Friday of obstructing efforts to provide debt relief to African countries and other developing nations at IMF and World Bank talks in Washington.

Yellen took aim at Beijing at several events during the groups' annual meetings in the US capital this week.

At talks with European Union finance ministers, she said the situation of African countries and other developing nations was "tremendously worrisome."

But "very few" have asked for their debt to be treated through a G20 mechanism known as the common framework, and of those only one -- Chad -- has succeeded, she said.

"China is an important factor in why that's not working. China is the biggest creditor in these countries and China is not participating constructively," Yellen told EU counterparts.

Later at a news conference, she said G7 finance ministers had a meeting with colleagues from African nations.

"We recognize the importance of making progress on having a better and more effective framework for resolving excessive debt," she said.

"And really, the barrier to making greater progress is one important creditor country, namely China, so there has been much discussion of what we can do to bring China to the table and to foster a more effective resolution of their problems."

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