By Dailymailuganda.com Reporter
The military tribunal of the Democratic Republic of Cong (DRC) has sentenced former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia after being convicted of treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Lt Gen Joseph Mutombo Katalayi delivered the verdict in the capital Kinshasha , accusing Kabila of committing atrocities including murder, sexual violence, torture, and insurrection.
The charges crop from his alleged support for the M23 rebellion, a group said to be backed by Rwanda that has seized large parts of North and South Kivu provinces.
Kabila a son to the late former president Lorent Desire Kabila whom he succeed after his assassination governed DRC from 2001 until 2019 didn’t appear in court nor sending a defence team. His current location remains anonymous, although he has largely resided in South Africa since 2023. He briefly resurfaced in May this year in Goma, a city under M23 control.
Invoking article 7 of the military penal code, Gen Katalayi said the court had no choice but to impose “the severest sanction available—the death penalty.” In addition, Kabila was ordered to pay nearly $50 billion in compensation to victims and to the state.
The verdict comes amid escalating instability in eastern Congo, where the M23 insurgency has displaced hundreds of thousands and left thousands dead this year despite a US-brokered ceasefire signed in June. Both Kinshasa and the rebels accuse each other of violating the truce.
President Félix Tshisekedi has repeatedly blamed his predecessor for financing the M23 offensive. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in February, Tshisekedi alleged that Kabila was the “chief sponsor” of the rebellion.
Relations between the two men soured shortly after a fragile power-sharing deal following the 2019 transition. Tshisekedi’s government has since moved to suspend Kabila’s political party and seize its assets.