⬆️ Regional Briefing | DRC’s Kabila Sentenced to Death in Absentia
A military court in Kinshasa has sentenced former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for war crimes and treason, marking an extraordinary turn in the country’s turbulent politics.
The 54-year-old, who ruled Africa’s second-largest nation for nearly two decades, was convicted on charges of supporting the M23 rebel movement that has devastated eastern Congo. The indictment lists crimes against humanity, treason, murder, torture, and sexual violence. Kabila rejected the case as “arbitrary” and accused the courts of being used as “an instrument of oppression.” His current whereabouts remain unknown.
The verdict follows months of mounting tension between Kabila and President Félix Tshisekedi. Once uneasy allies, their political relationship collapsed, culminating in Kabila’s exile in 2023. In April this year, Kabila returned briefly to the eastern city of Goma then under M23 control, claiming he wanted to help mediate peace. Instead, he is now cast as the architect of the rebellion. Senators stripped him of his immunity earlier this year, clearing the way for his prosecution.
The implications are seismic. Kabila is no ordinary defendant; he is a former head of state who inherited power after his father’s assassination in 2001 and remained in office for 18 years. His conviction underlines both the fragility of DRC’s institutions and the explosive politics surrounding the M23 insurgency.
Eastern Congo remains one of the world’s deadliest conflicts. The M23 rebellion has seized swathes of North Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, and two airports critical for supply lines. The United Nations and several Western governments point to Rwanda as the real backer of M23, accusing Kigali of deploying thousands of troops across the border to secure control of Congo’s mineral-rich east. Rwanda denies the charge, insisting its role is defensive.
A ceasefire announced in July has failed to stop the fighting. Instead, the region remains on edge, with civilians paying the highest price. Reports of mass killings, rape, and displacement dominate the landscape, even as Kinshasa now escalates the legal war by going after its former leader.
Regionally, the verdict raises new questions. Will this ruling inflame old ethnic and political divisions inside DRC? Could it destabilize relations with Rwanda further, risking a wider war in the Great Lakes region? And what precedent does it set for prosecuting former African leaders accused of atrocities?
For now, Kabila’s sentence is symbolic. He is not in custody, and his support base, though fractured, still holds influence in Congolese politics. But the message is unmistakable: the DRC government wants to close the chapter on the Kabila era, even if it means rewriting the balance of power in the east.
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