In a major shift for Congolese politics, a DRC military tribunal sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for treason. The 54-year-old was convicted of backing the M23 rebel group, which controls areas of eastern DRC with alleged Rwandan support.
The verdict came after a five-hour hearing, with the court handing down the sentence without considering any factors that might lessen Kabila’s guilt.
Kabila wasn’t present and had no legal defense during the trial in Kinshasa.
The court claims he was part of a plan to support M23’s control over the country’s eastern mining regions. While DRC reinstated the death penalty in 2024, executions have not occurred in years.
With Kabila’s location still unknown, the sentence adds new tension to a country already burdened by decades of conflict, fragile institutions, and disputed political legacies.
