DRC: Former President Sentenced to D£ath for Treason

DRC: Former President Sentenced to Death for Treason

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo delivered a verdict for Joseph Kabila on Tuesday, convicting the former president of treason and other charges, resulting in a death sentence.

The supreme military tribunal in Kinshasa found Kabila guilty of treason, war crimes, conspiracy, and inciting an insurrection alongside the Rwanda-supported M23 rebel group. Additionally, it mandated that Kabila pay $29 billion in damages to Congo and allocate $2 billion each to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

The court mandated his arrest without delay.

Kabila, whose whereabouts remain unknown and who has been tried in absentia since July, faced accusations of treason, participating in an insurrection movement, conspiracy, and supporting terrorism.

In August, the prosecutor sought the death penalty, a move Kabila criticized as politically motivated to “silence the opposition.”

The government accused Kabilia of collaborating with Rwanda and the M23 rebels who captured major cities in eastern Congo during a swift attack in January, subsequently maintaining control over these areas. However, the former head of state, who governed from 2001 to 2019, has denied these allegations.

In May, the senate of his country voted to revoke his immunity from prosecution, a decision that Kabila criticized as dictatorial.

Kabila had been living outside of Congo in a self-imposed exile but made his return to Goma, one of the cities controlled by the rebel group, in April. His present whereabouts remain unknown.