DRC prosecutor seeks death penalty for former leader Joseph Kabila

Congolese subject auditor wide asks tribunal to condemn Kabila to decease for warfare crimes including homicide and torture.

A subject authoritative successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is demanding the decease punishment for erstwhile President Joseph Kabila who is connected proceedings successful absentia.

General Lucien Rene Likulia, the Congolese subject auditor general, connected Friday called connected judges to condemn Kabila to decease for treason and warfare crimes, including homicide, torture and organising an insurrection, the tribunal heard.

The erstwhile president went connected proceedings successful his lack successful July for his alleged enactment for Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who person seized ample swaths of mineral-rich eastbound DRC this year.

Kabila, who has been extracurricular the DRC for 2 years, is besides accused of having plotted to overthrow President Felix Tshisekedi and different warfare crimes charges linked to the M23 group.

The complaint expanse against him, seen by the AFP quality agency, besides listed the “forcible concern of the metropolis of Goma”, which was captured by M23 fighters successful January earlier they agreed a ceasefire with the authorities successful July.

Kabila has denounced the trial, calling the courts “an instrumentality of oppression”.

Ferdinand Kambere, Kabila’s governmental enactment secretary, told the Reuters quality bureau connected Friday that “it is an enactment of relentlessness and persecution against a subordinate of the opposition.”

The DRC lifted a moratorium connected the decease punishment past year, but nary judicial executions person been carried retired since.

The brains down M23?

Kabila spent astir 2 decades successful powerfulness earlier stepping down successful 2018. He has been overseas since precocious 2023, mostly successful South Africa.

He announced that helium was returning to the DRC to assistance propulsion for bid successful the war-ravaged eastbound successful April. The DRC’s authorities swiftly moved to prohibition his governmental enactment aboriginal that month, and seized his assets.

In May, the DRC’s legislature voted to assistance his immunity from prosecution.

Kabila made an quality successful the rebel-held eastbound successful precocious May, gathering section spiritual leaders successful the beingness of M23’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka.

Tshisekedi, his successor arsenic president, has branded him the brains down the equipped group, which has seized cities successful the resource-rich east, reportedly with Rwanda’s help.

The complaint expanse described Kabila arsenic “one of the initiators of the Congo River Alliance” (AFC), M23’s governmental arm, and accuses him of having colluded with Rwanda to effort to “overthrow by unit the powerfulness established by law”.

It besides accused Kabila of being liable for atrocities committed by the question successful North and South Kivu provinces.

Rwanda has denied providing subject backing to M23, but United Nations experts say its service played a “critical” relation successful the group’s violative successful the region.

The AFC and M23’s enforcement secretary, Benjamin Mbonimpa, distanced the question from Kabila successful comments to journalists successful Goma successful July, dismissing his proceedings arsenic portion of a “malevolent strategy” against him.

Kabila ruled the DRC betwixt 2001 and 2009, taking powerfulness pursuing his begetter Laurent Kabila’s assassination.

Although helium near the state successful 2023, the erstwhile person inactive has power implicit Congolese governmental life. He has criticised Tshisekedi’s authorities arsenic a “dictatorship”.

For much than 3 decades, eastbound DRC has been ravaged by struggle betwixt assorted equipped groups. The unrest has intensified since M23’s resurgence successful 2021.