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5h ago

Congo Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty for Ex-President Kabila in In‑Absentia Treason, War Crimes Trial

The demand intensifies a politically fraught case that alleges Kabila aided Rwanda‑backed M23 rebels.

FILE - Former Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila arrives to meet with religious leaders at his Kinyogote residence in M23 controlled Goma, Eastern Congo, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
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Kabila has denounced the trial, branding his successor's government a 'dictatorship'
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Overview

  • Military prosecutor Gen. Lucien René Likulia asked judges to sentence Joseph Kabila to death, with additional requests of 20 years for allegedly condoning war crimes and 15 years for conspiracy.
  • Kabila is being tried in absentia on charges including treason, organizing an insurrection, and war crimes such as homicide, torture and rape, with no verdict date set.
  • The charge sheet portrays him as an initiator of the M23 political arm known as the Congo River Alliance and alleges collusion with Rwanda, including responsibility for the forcible occupation of Goma.
  • Kabila denies the accusations and calls the courts an instrument of oppression, as authorities have lifted his immunity, suspended his party and seized his assets this year.
  • UN experts say Rwanda’s army played a critical role in the M23 offensive, which Kigali denies, and the DRC ended its death penalty moratorium in 2024 though no executions have followed.