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4h ago

DRC Military Court Sentences Ex-President Joseph Kabila to Death for Treason and War Crimes

The in-absentia ruling leaves only a narrow procedural appeal before the Court of Cassation.

Joseph Kabila, ancien président de la République démocratique du Congo, ici en mai dernier, a été condamné mardi 30 septembre 2025 à la peine de mort.
L'ancien président de la RDC, Joseph Kabila, lors d'une rencontre avec des dirigeants de diverses confessions religieuses dans l'une de ses résidences à Goma, le 29 mai 2025
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Overview

  • The High Military Court convicted Kabila in absentia, finding him complicit with the M23 armed group.
  • Judges cited war crimes including murder, rape and torture, as well as treason and organizing an insurrection, and added a 15-year prison term for conspiracy.
  • Kabila was not present or represented at the Kinshasa trial, which followed the lifting of his lifetime senatorial immunity at the end of May and opened in late July.
  • An arrest or execution is considered unlikely for now, with no executions carried out since 2003 despite the 2024 end of the death penalty moratorium.
  • The decision comes as M23 holds territory after major early-2025 offensives and a recent UN inquiry reported acts by multiple parties that could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.