A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia on September 30, 2025, for his alleged role in supporting the M23 rebel group.
The verdict, delivered in Kinshasa, convicted Kabila of treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual assault, torture, and insurrection.
Kabila, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, did not attend the trial and was not represented by legal counsel.
His whereabouts remain unknown.
Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, presiding over the tribunal, announced the death penalty under Article 7 of the Military Penal Code, citing it as the most severe punishment.
The court also ordered Kabila to pay approximately $50 billion in damages to the state and victims.
The charges stem from accusations that Kabila backed the Rwanda-supported M23 rebels, who have seized significant territory in eastern DRC, including parts of North and South Kivu provinces.
The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands and killed thousands in 2025 alone.
Kabila, who stepped down in 2019 after nearly two decades in power, has been in self-imposed exile since 2023, though he briefly visited M23-controlled Goma in May 2025.
He has denied the allegations, calling the judiciary “an instrument of oppression.”
The verdict follows a fallout with his successor, President Felix Tshisekedi, who accused Kabila of orchestrating the M23 insurgency.
Observers suggest the sentence aims to neutralize Kabila’s potential to unify opposition forces.
Despite a lifted moratorium on the death penalty in 2024, no executions have occurred, and Kabila’s arrest appears unlikely.
An appeal is possible, limited to procedural irregularities.