Congolese Colonel Sentenced to Death for Murder of UN Employee Zaida Catalán

A colonel in the Congolese army has been sentenced to death for the murder of Swedish UN employee Zaida Catalán in March 2017, according to SVT Nyheter.

Catalán's sister, Elizabeth Morseby, described the news as overwhelming, telling SVT that the family feels both relief and sorrow. "It feels like a very important step toward justice has been taken. But there is also a sorrow that nothing can bring Zaida back to us," Morseby said.

The convicted colonel was the highest-ranking military official in the area. In 2018, television reports indicated he had conspired to have Zaida Catalán and American Michael Sharp murdered. Phone logs from the colonel's phone reportedly showed he was in contact with several individuals implicated in the murders in the days surrounding the event, SVT reported.

Zaida Catalán, Michael Sharp, and their local assistant Betu Shintela were abducted and killed while on a mission in the Kasai Central province. Their bodies were found buried in the area a week later. Catalán worked as an expert for a UN committee directly under the UN Security Council, tasked with monitoring sanctions against the country and investigating suspected massacres in the Kasai region, which was experiencing armed conflict between Kamuina Nsapu and government forces. The ongoing conflict in the region had claimed thousands of lives and displaced many people.

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It feels like a very important step toward justice has been taken. But there is also a sorrow that nothing can bring Zaida back to us.