A military tribunal in Kinshasa has sentenced former Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia, convicting him of war crimes, treason, and crimes against humanity.
The charges relate to Kabila’s alleged backing of the M23 rebel militia, which has seized substantial territory in eastern Congo. He was found guilty of crimes including murder, sexual assault, torture, insurrection, and complicity in rebel operations.
Presiding over the court, Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi invoked Article 7 of the Military Penal Code to impose “the most severe sentence”—death.
Kabila did not attend the trial and was not represented by legal counsel. His whereabouts remain uncertain, though he has been living outside the country since 2023.
In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered Kabila to pay approximately US $50 billion in damages to the state and victims.
The verdict has escalated political tensions in the DRC. Kabila, who governed from 2001 to 2019, has denied all wrongdoing and criticized the judiciary as politicized.
Observers note that while the sentence is dramatic, executing it may prove difficult given his absence and the legal and political complications such a move would involve.