Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has been sentenced to death in absentia by a military tribunal in Kinshasa. The court found him guilty of war crimes, treason, and crimes against humanity, citing his alleged role in supporting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the country’s volatile east. Presiding judge Lieutenant-General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi said the charges included murder, sexual assault, torture, and insurrection.
Kabila, who ruled Congo from 2001 to 2019, did not appear in court and was not represented by legal counsel. His current whereabouts remain unclear, though he has mostly resided in South Africa since late 2023. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and accused Congo’s judiciary of being politicised. In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered him to pay roughly $50 billion in damages to the state and to victims of the conflict.
The verdict risks deepening divisions in the mineral-rich central African nation, where decades of violence and instability persist. Kabila left power in 2019 after deadly nationwide protests but has remained a key political figure.
His relationship with successor Felix Tshisekedi soured soon after their short-lived power-sharing arrangement collapsed. Tshisekedi has openly accused Kabila of backing M23 rebels, who advanced on Bukavu earlier this year, further fuelling tensions in eastern Congo.
