Written by Were Kelly
A military prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has demanded the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila, who is being tried in absentia on charges of treason and war crimes.
General Lucien Rene Likulia, the country’s military auditor general, urged judges on Friday to sentence the former head of state to death, accusing him of homicide, torture, and organizing an insurrection in alliance with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Kabila, who ruled the DRC from 2001 to 2018, has been living abroad—mostly in South Africa—since 2023.
His trial, which began in July, centers on allegations that he supported M23 fighters who captured the strategic city of Goma in January before agreeing to a ceasefire with Kinshasa in July.
The charge sheet also links him to atrocities committed in North and South Kivu provinces.
The government accuses Kabila of colluding with Rwanda to destabilize the country and plotting to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi. He is described as one of the “initiators” of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the political arm of M23.
Kabila has dismissed the proceedings, calling the courts “an instrument of oppression.” His party secretary, Ferdinand Kambere, told Reuters that the case reflects “relentlessness and persecution against a member of the opposition.”
Although the DRC lifted its moratorium on the death penalty last year, no executions have yet been carried out.
Human rights groups have expressed concern that the politically charged case could heighten tensions in the conflict-ravaged east, where M23’s resurgence since 2021 has displaced hundreds of thousands.
Kabila, who still wields significant political influence, returned briefly to the rebel-held east in May, meeting religious leaders alongside M23 representatives. His successor, President Tshisekedi, has branded him the “brains” behind the armed group.
For more than three decades, eastern DRC has endured cycles of violence driven by ethnic militias and competition over vast mineral resources.
The trial of a former president marks a dramatic escalation in Kinshasa’s efforts to confront what it views as both internal betrayal and foreign aggression.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
