DR Congo Court Sentences Ex-President Kabila to Death in Absentia

The political climate in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after a military tribunal in Kinshasa sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia.

Kabila, 54, who ruled the vast central African nation between 2001 and 2019, was convicted of treason, war crimes, sexual assault, torture, conspiracy, and aiding terrorism. 

He was also accused of working hand in hand with the notorious M23 rebels, a group long backed by Rwanda and responsible for violence in eastern Congo.

Delivering the judgment, Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi said Kabila had always been regarded as the “undisputed leader of M23.” 

The verdict, which reportedly took four hours to read, relied heavily on Article 7 of the Military Penal Code. This provision prescribes the death penalty as the highest punishment for treason and crimes against humanity.

Despite the judgment, Kabila’s current whereabouts remain unknown. Legal experts say there is still room for an appeal, even though the sentence was delivered in his absence.

Meanwhile, the former president’s political allies have strongly condemned the ruling. His party, the Common Front for Congo (FCC), dismissed the decision as a “tragicomedy” and insisted the proceedings were “illegal from start to finish.”

Joseph Kabila first came to power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila. For nearly two decades, he was a central figure in Congolese politics, holding onto power through controversial elections and constitutional maneuvers before eventually stepping down in 2019.

His trial marks one of the most significant attempts in recent years to hold a former African head of state accountable for alleged crimes committed while in power. However, observers believe the ruling could heighten political tensions in an already fragile country battling insecurity, corruption, and armed conflicts in its mineral-rich eastern regions.