A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sentenced former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia, marking an extraordinary moment in the nation’s turbulent history.
The former head of state, who ruled Africa’s second-largest country for nearly two decades, was convicted of treason, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and conspiracy with the notorious M23 rebel movement.
The ruling, delivered by a panel of military judges led by Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, came after months of hearings that unfolded without Kabila’s participation or legal representation.
The 54-year-old former president, whose current whereabouts remain unknown, has consistently rejected the charges, denouncing the case as “arbitrary” and describing DRC’s courts as “an instrument of oppression.”
Kabila’s conviction followed accusations that he secretly masterminded the resurgence of M23, a rebel group accused of widespread atrocities in eastern Congo.
The court, however, asserted that Kabila had acted as “the undisputed leader” of the group, directing strategy and overseeing operations as M23 seized swathes of mineral-rich territory, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Alongside the death penalty, Kabila was ordered to pay $33 billion in reparations, with $29 billion earmarked for the Congolese state to cover moral, infrastructural, and ecological damages. The remaining sum is to be divided between North Kivu and South Kivu, provinces devastated by the rebellion.
Military prosecutor General Lucien René Likulia had pressed for the maximum sentence, accusing Kabila of plotting to overthrow his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi, while bearing responsibility for acts of murder, torture, rape, and forced displacement attributed to M23 fighters.
“In applying Article 7 of the military penal code, the tribunal imposes the most severe punishment,” General Mutombo declared as he read the verdict.
Kabila rose to power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, and went on to govern until 2019. His carefully negotiated handover to Tshisekedi was hailed as Congo’s first peaceful transfer of power, but the alliance between the two men collapsed within months.
By 2023, stripped of political protection, Kabila slipped into self-imposed exile. His return to the rebel-held city of Goma in May 2025 fueled suspicions that he was colluding with insurgents, and in April the Congolese Senate voted to strip him of immunity, clearing the way for prosecution.
Critics, including members of Kabila’s political platform, the Common Front for Congo, called the proceedings “a tragicomedy,” citing the speed of the investigation, the absence of defense counsel, and the heavy political undertones of the charges.
Human rights organizations have also questioned whether the outcome represents justice or retribution, noting that DRC lifted a moratorium on executions only last year, and no judicial death sentence has been carried out in decades.
Despite the symbolic weight of the verdict, Kabila’s arrest remains improbable. His location is uncertain, and international legal observers argue that the ruling is as much about neutralizing his lingering political influence as it is about accountability for crimes.
Some analysts suggest that the sentence was designed to prevent him from rallying opposition forces ahead of future elections. On the ground, meanwhile, the conflict that defined Kabila’s downfall shows no sign of abating.
Ceasefire agreements signed with Rwanda and the M23 rebels earlier this year in Washington and Doha have done little to stop the violence. A recent United Nations investigation accounts for civilians who continue to suffer through massacres, sexual violence, and mass displacement.
For most Congolese, the trial of their former president represents both a reckoning with past leadership and a sobering reminder that justice alone cannot end the cycle of war that has haunted the country for decades.
