Congo Court Sentences Ex-President Joseph Kabila to Death for War Crimes

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was accused of backing the M23 rebel group that has devastated the country’s  Eastern region. Kabila was convicted on Friday of murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection. He was also ordered to pay a $33bn (£25bn) fine. The former leader has since rejected the case as “arbitrary” and an “instrument of oppression” but did not appear in court. His whereabouts remain unknown to Congolese authorities.

Culture Custodian previously reported that prosecutors were seeking the death penalty after accusing the former president of backing the rebels who captured large areas of territory in the mineral-rich east. That case, which began in July, set the stage for this week’s verdict and the intensifying political rift it represents.

His allies have also dismissed the ruling as political. Kikaya Bin Karubi, a former minister, told the BBC the proceedings were “theatrical” and a sign of “dictatorship” under President Félix Tshisekedi. M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa said the judgment violated ongoing peace talks with the government.

Kabila, 54, ruled DR Congo for 18 years after the assassination of his father Laurent in 2001. He left office in 2019 after backing Tshisekedi in disputed elections, but their alliance broke down and Kabila went into self-imposed exile in 2023.

The M23, a rebel group that controls large parts of North Kivu including Goma, Bukavu and two airports, has displaced hundreds of thousands since its renewed offensive in early 2025, according to UN estimates. President Félix Tshisekedi accused Kabila of directing the insurgency, pointing to his reappearance in Goma earlier this year, an M23 stronghold, where the former president claimed he wanted to help resolve the crisis. In April, senators stripped him of legal immunity, clearing the way for his prosecution.

Neighbouring Rwanda has been accused by the UN and Western governments of backing the rebels and deploying troops across the border. The Rwandan government denies this, insisting its actions are to stop the fighting from spilling onto its territory. The ruling comes just months after Congo and Rwanda signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington, intended to end hostilities in the east. But Kabila’s conviction explicitly tying him to Kigali and the M23  risks undermining those peace deals and stalling fragile efforts at reconciliation.