A military prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has called for the death penalty against former president Joseph Kabila, who is currently standing trial in absentia on charges of treason and war crimes.
General Lucien Rene Likulia urged the court on Friday to sentence Kabila to death, accusing him of committing crimes including treason, homicide, torture, rape, and organising an armed insurrection through his alleged support of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement.
Kabila, who has been living outside the DRC for the past two years, went on trial in July after President Felix Tshisekedi’s government accused him of plotting to overthrow the administration and backing the M23 insurgency. The group has seized large parts of eastern Congo in recent years, displacing thousands of civilians.
The indictment also highlights the January capture of the strategic city of Goma by M23 rebels, which was later vacated following a permanent ceasefire agreement in July. Kabila is alleged to have met with local leaders in Goma earlier in May, in the presence of M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka.
President Tshisekedi has repeatedly accused his predecessor of being the mastermind behind the rebel group, with the backing of neighbouring Rwanda — claims Kabila has strongly denied. In response, he dismissed the proceedings as politically motivated, branding the Congolese courts “an instrument of oppression.”
The DRC lifted its moratorium on the death penalty in 2024, though no judicial executions have taken place in decades. The trial marks one of the most high-profile legal cases in the country’s history, underscoring deep political tensions between the current government and the former ruling elite.
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