This comes after the Ministry of Defense discovered that seven of them were still active-duty soldiers who had been on a family leave of up to two years. It was found that they violated military regulations by leaving the country without authorization and engaging in activities unrelated to their military duties. Three of them remain on leave.
The Ministry also revealed that among these mercenaries were 466 former members of Romania's reserve forces, who had previously been discharged from active military service due to age, resignation, or medical reasons.
A case file for one of the seven soldiers on leave has already been submitted to the military prosecutor's office, and it is expected that files for the remaining six will also be submitted, according to Euractiv.
Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr stated that he had ordered a full investigation into how this situation arose and that measures would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
European mercenaries began collaborating with the DRC government in 2022 to fight against the M23 rebel group, which was rapidly taking control of vast territories. A large number of these mercenaries were from Romania.
Before M23 captured the city of Goma in late January 2025, the mercenaries, led by Horatiu Potra, a figure well known across Africa, ceased fighting operations.
M23 captured 280 of the mercenaries and repatriated them through Rwanda on January 29, 2025. Reports indicated that some had fled before the rebel group entered Goma.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/romanian-investigates-mercenaries-who-fought-in-eastern-drc
