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DR Congo’s ex-President Joseph Kabila sentenced to death in absentia

Head of military tribunal says Kabila convicted of several crimes, including treason, murder and torture.

Former Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila arrives to meet with religious leaders at his Kinyogote residence in M23-controlled Goma on May 29, 2025 [Moses Sawasawa/AP Photo]

Published On 30 Sep 202530 Sep 2025

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A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia.

Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, who presided over the military tribunal, said on Tuesday that Kabila was convicted of various crimes, including treason, crimes against humanity, murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection.

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Kabila, who served as president from 2001 to 2019, had left the DRC in 2023 but recently visited the east of the country in an area controlled by the M23 rebel group.

The former president went on trial in absentia in July for his alleged support for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who seized large swaths of territory in the eastern DRC this year.

Kabila had previously denounced the case against him, calling the courts “an instrument of oppression”.

There was no immediate information about Kabila’s whereabouts after the military court’s verdict.

More to come …