Kabila sentenced to death: What it means for DRC and what’s next

Former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, was connected Tuesday sentenced to decease by a precocious subject tribunal connected charges of treason, warfare crimes and different superior offences, successful transportation with the ongoing conflict in the country’s east.

Kabila was sentenced successful absentia for alleged collaboration with the Rwanda-backed rebel group, M23, which launched lightning offensives successful January this twelvemonth and seized swaths of territory, including the strategical eastbound hub of Goma. The group’s beforehand resulted successful much than 3,000 deaths and the displacement of adjacent to a cardinal people.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Why was erstwhile DR Congo president Kabila sentenced to death?
• list 2 of 4DR Congo’s ex-President Joseph Kabila sentenced to decease successful absentia
• list 3 of 4DRC and Rwanda to onslaught Trump-brokered bid deal: All to know
• list 4 of 4The Rwanda-DRC bid woody indispensable see the voices of the voiceless

The sentencing comes arsenic the DRC authorities and representatives of the M23 rebels proceed to prosecute successful slow-moving peace negotiations, which person been mediated by Qatar since July. There are concerns, however, that Kabila’s sentencing could further hamper those talks and deepen a wide governmental disagreement successful the troubled cardinal African country.

The DRC has been successful the throes of a decades-long conflict, which escalated successful January. Although warring has ebbed amid the bid talks, determination are inactive immoderate reports of violence. Kabila, who was president betwixt 2001 and 2019, is simply a governmental rival of President Felix Tshisekedi and has accused the incumbent president of utilizing the courts to settee governmental scores.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir Kabila’s sentencing:

War-displaced radical permission camps connected the outskirts of Goma connected February 2, 2025. More than 700,000 displaced radical person arrived successful Goma since precocious 2022, fleeing the warring successful the territories of Rutshuru and Masisi [Alexis Huguet/AFP]

What was the ruling?

Kabila was recovered blameworthy of respective charges, including treason, warfare crimes, conspiracy and organising an insurrection successful collaboration with the M23 rebel group, which is backed by Rwanda, according to a United Nations sheet of experts. The group’s stated purpose is to overthrow Tshisekedi. Rwanda denies being the unit down M23.

Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, presiding implicit the DRC’s subject tribunal, declared Kabila blameworthy – by a bulk ballot – of “war transgression by intentional murder, warfare transgression by rape, warfare transgression by torture, and warfare transgression by attacks against protected property”.

“In applying Article 7 of the Military Penal Code, it imposes a azygous sentence, namely the astir terrible one, which is the decease penalty,” Katalayi said.

The tribunal besides ordered the erstwhile president to wage $29bn successful damages to the DRC government, and $2bn each to the war-affected regions of North Kivu and South Kivu, successful the eastbound DRC. Kabila himself is believed to person been calved successful the South Kivu region.

Prosecutor Richard Bondo, who represented North Kivu and South Kivu provinces during the trial, praised the court’s decision. “Justice rendered successful the sanction of the Congolese radical gives restitution to its people,” Bondo told reporters extracurricular the court.

Kabila was not present, nor was helium represented by a ineligible team.

Who is Kabila, and wherefore is determination a lawsuit against him?

Kabila, 53, took bureau astatine property 29, pursuing the assassination of his begetter and erstwhile president, Laurent Kabila. He was antecedently the service main of staff, and fought successful the Congo Wars. Kabila’s term, which was rife with allegations of corruption and rights violations, ended successful 2016. He unconstitutionally delayed elections until December 2018, citing elector registry challenges.

After a campaigner helium backed successful the elections lost, Kabila signed an uneasy power-sharing woody with absorption campaigner Tshisekedi of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), who was declared the winner. The woody allowed Kabila, of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), to instal respective of his allies successful the cabinet. However, successful 2020, Tshisekedi ended the confederation aft helium began systematically removing Kabila’s allies from government.

In November 2021, the DRC authorities launched ceremonial investigations into Kabila and his adjacent allies connected charges of corruption portion helium was successful office. In April 2023, Kabila, nether expanding pressure, went into self-imposed exile and has reportedly been surviving successful South Africa since.

He was mostly quiescent until February 2025, erstwhile helium wrote an sentiment editorial successful the Sunday Times, a South African newspaper, accusing Tshisekedi of attempting to clasp connected to power, and of mishandling the ongoing struggle with M23. The aforesaid month, President Tshisekedi, speaking astatine the Munich Security Conference, accused Kabila of financially supporting the rebel group.

Democratic Republic of the Congo’s outgoing President Joseph Kabila and his successor Felix Tshisekedi basal during an inauguration ceremonial successful Kinshasa, connected January 24, 2019 [Olivia Acland/Reuters]

In the past, the president said Kabila’s adjacent links to rebel person Corneille Nangaa, who is allied with the M23, were impervious of his relations with the rebels. Nangaa was the electoral commissioner nether Kabila and oversaw the 2018 elections that brought Tshisekedi into office. He fell retired with Tshisekedi successful 2021 implicit however the elections were run, formed the rebel Alliance of the Congo River (ACF), and joined forces with the rebels successful December 2023.

Reports that Kabila landed successful Goma successful April angered Tshikedi’s government, prompting it to prohibition the PPRD and bid Kabila’s assets seized. In May, the DRC parliament voted overwhelmingly to assistance Kabila’s statesmanlike immunity, which protects ex-presidents from prosecution unless they perpetrate “gross misconduct”, successful mentation for a trial. Kabila responded successful a YouTube video, calling the authorities of Tshisekedi a “dictatorship”. He besides presented a 12-point bid program helium said could extremity the struggle successful the east.

Two days later, the M23 confirmed that Kabila was successful Goma, wherever helium met with section spiritual leaders and different residents. He did not springiness a statement, but a subordinate of his entourage told AFP quality bureau that nary ceremonial confederation existed betwixt his enactment and M23, but some shared the “same goal” of ending the regularisation of Tshisekedi.

In July, the subject proceedings against Kabila began. The tribunal connected Tuesday said prosecutors quoted grounds implicating Kabila from Eric Nkuba, a erstwhile unit subordinate of Nangaa who was convicted connected charges of rebellion successful August 2024, and who is present imprisoned. The tribunal said Nkuba revealed that Nangaa and Tshisekedi communicated via telephone implicit plans to overthrow Tshisekedi.

Where is Kabila now?

The erstwhile president’s determination is presently unknown. He was past seen publically successful May, erstwhile helium was confirmed to beryllium successful Goma. The subject tribunal connected Tuesday ordered his contiguous arrest.

Patrick Mauka, 1 of galore wounded by warring successful the region, poses for a photograph astatine an orthopaedic centre tally by the Catholic Church and supported by the Red Cross successful Goma, eastbound DRC, connected Friday, August 29, 2025 [Moses Sawasawa/AP]

What does the condemnation mean?

Goma-based ineligible analyst, Nzanzu Masomeko Hubert, faulted the trial, saying factual grounds against Kabila was lacking. He added that the sentencing risks undermining the ongoing Doha talks with the M23, which researchers accidental are progressing slowly due to grandstanding connected some sides.

“I judge this proceedings was politically motivated,” Hubert, who works with the provincial government, told Al Jazeera. “Convicting Joseph Kabila for his alleged links to the AFC/M23 portion the authorities is negotiating with the M23 successful Doha is inconsistent. It is contrary to the request to fortify nationalist unity, particularly during this play of crisis,” helium said

Kambale Musavuli, who is based successful Ghana wherever helium works for the US-based Center for Research connected Congo-Kinshasa, said Kabila’s proceedings represented “dramatic punishment” alternatively than a due introspection of the galore allegations against the erstwhile president oregon a wider transitional justness mechanics for the DRC, which the UN has recommended since the civilian war.

“Congolese radical privation accountability so (but) Joseph Kabila’s gravest betrayals spell acold beyond his caller contacts with M23,” helium said, citing allegations of fraudulent elections nether Kabila’s ticker and failed promises by his authorities to analyse killings of absorption members and activists during his term.

“Selective justness aimed astatine 1 antheral for poltical reasons risks much harm than good. Real justness indispensable beryllium fair, public, and acold reaching,” Musavuli added.

Meanwhile, immoderate residents of Goma, wherever calm has mostly prevailed pursuing warring earlier successful the year, person voiced concerns that the sentencing could punctual a convulsive absorption from the M23.

Analysts warned that the governmental disagreement successful the country, wherever Kabila continues to clasp a beardown influence, could deepen further. The DRC successful March 2024 lifted a impermanent prohibition connected executions, which had been successful spot since 2003 to deter subject officers from moving with M23 oregon mutinying. Thirteen soldiers were sentenced to decease successful January, but nary executions person been carried out.

More unit successful the DRC could further destabilise the Great Lakes and the fragile bid with Rwanda.

In June 2025, some countries signed a bid statement pursuing negotiations led by Qatar and the United States. It is abstracted from the Qatar-mediated bid woody signed successful July betwixt the DRC and M23.

How person Kabila’s allies and M23 reacted?

Speaking to The Associated Press quality agency, PPRD imperishable caput Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary condemned the court’s condemnation arsenic a “political, unfair decision”.

“We judge that the wide volition of the dictatorship successful powerfulness is to eliminate, to neutralise, a large governmental actor,” Shadary is quoted arsenic saying.

The M23/AFC rebel confederation spokesperson Bertrand Bisimwa, successful a connection connected Wednesday, referred to Kabila arsenic “president” and said the ruling went against the agreements made earlier the Doha bid talks started. “The decease condemnation against President Joseph Kabila nether the pretext of his alleged nexus with the AFC/M23 is simply a usurpation of the Declaration of Principles conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic the persistence of the equipped offensives by the Kinshasa regime,” helium said.