-
DR Congo court sentences ex-president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia.
-
He was convicted of treason and alleged ties to M23 rebels.
-
Opposition calls trial political, says ruling targets dissent.
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sentenced former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia after finding him guilty of treason and alleged collaboration with the M23 rebel group.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- The Past Is Gone, I Forgive and Move On – Jonathan
- Spotify Names Ayra Starr Top Female Force in Afrobeats
- Fela Didn’t Inspire Me – Burna Boy
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the ruling, delivered on Tuesday in Kinshasa, accused the 54-year-old former leader of working with the armed movement that controls large areas in eastern DRC, reportedly with Rwandan backing. Kabila was neither present nor represented at the trial.
Military prosecutor General Lucien Rene Likulia told the court that Kabila conspired with Rwanda to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi, adding charges of homicide, torture, and rape connected to M23’s activities. He also alleged that Kabila worked with Corneille Nangaa, a former electoral commission chief, to orchestrate a coup following the disputed 2018 election.
“The death penalty is the only just punishment for the crimes committed,” Likulia said.
Opposition Condemns Trial
Kabila’s political party dismissed the verdict as a politically motivated move to silence the former president and weaken opposition voices. Observers also believe the death sentence aims to block Kabila from mobilising opposition support within the country.
Kabila left the DRC in 2023 and briefly resurfaced in Goma in May 2025, where he reportedly met religious leaders alongside M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka, a development that heightened tensions in Kinshasa.
President Tshisekedi has repeatedly accused Kabila of masterminding M23’s resurgence and fuelling instability in eastern DRC. Kabila has denied the allegations, branding Tshisekedi’s government a dictatorship.
While Rwanda denies arming M23, UN experts have reported that the Rwandan army played a significant role in the group’s offensive.
Kabila, who assumed power in 2001 following the assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, ruled until 2019. His nearly 18-year rule was marked by conflict, fragile peace agreements, and widespread corruption allegations.
The DRC lifted its moratorium on the death penalty in 2023, but no executions have yet been carried out. The country has endured over three decades of armed conflict, particularly in its eastern provinces, where rebel groups remain active.
