A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has delivered a shocking verdict, convicting former President Joseph Kabila of grave offenses including crimes against humanity and treason. The court, sitting in Kinshasa, sentenced him to death in absentia.
The Congolese government accused Mr. Kabila of actively colluding with M23, a rebel group supported by Rwanda. This group famously seized significant territory in eastern Congo earlier this year. Mr. Kabila had governed the vast central African nation for almost two decades, from 2001 to 2019.
Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Goma, Congo, in May. (Credit: Arlette Bashizi/Reuters)
The verdict, which took over four hours to announce on Tuesday, found Mr. Kabila guilty of a wide array of charges including war crimes, murder, sexual assault, torture, involvement in an insurrection, conspiracy, and supporting terrorism. However, since the former president was not present for any part of the trial, it is highly improbable that this sentence will ever be carried out.
In response, Mr. Kabila’s political party, the Common Front for Congo, vehemently denounced the legal process, labeling the entire court case as “illegal from start to finish” and dismissing the proceedings as a “tragicomedy.”
The trial unfolded at the military high court in Kinshasa, overseen by a panel of six military judges led by Lt. Gen. Joseph Mutombo.
General Mutombo, in his delivery of the sentence, declared that Mr. Kabila “had always been the undisputed leader of M23,” citing his alleged participation in meetings and inspections of training centers. While Bertrand Bisimwa and Sultani Makenga are widely recognized as M23’s on-the-ground commanders, recent reports from United Nations experts indicate that Rwanda exerted significant command and control over M23 during its offensive in eastern Congo this year.
Furthermore, the court ordered the former president to pay a staggering $33 billion in reparations. The majority of this sum — $29 million — is earmarked for the Congolese state to cover moral, defense, infrastructural, and ecological damages resulting from the ongoing conflict. The remaining $4 billion is to be divided between the two provinces most affected by the M23 invasion: South Kivu and North Kivu.
Following the 2018 presidential election, Mr. Kabila’s preferred candidate lost, and opposition figure Felix Tshisekedi was named the winner. Despite independent observers suggesting that Martin Fayulu was the true winner, Mr. Kabila transferred power to Mr. Tshisekedi, whom he evidently viewed as a more amenable ally.
The political alliance between Mr. Tshisekedi and Mr. Kabila soon dissolved. Mr. Kabila entered self-imposed exile in 2023, initially residing in South Africa. In May of the same year, he broadcast a live speech criticizing the Tshisekedi government, followed by a highly publicized visit to the rebel-controlled city of Goma. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
Justin Makangara contributed reporting from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.