Former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death today after being tried in absentia for "treason and war crimes" before military courts in a country he had not visited for two years.
Kabila's recent reappearance in the country has worried Kinshasa, and according to some observers, the aim of this punishment is to rule out the possibility that he could unite the opposition within the country, although no information has been given about the current whereabouts of the former head of state who ruled from 2001 to 2019.
Kabila (54), who was not present at the trial in the capital Kinshasa, nor did he have a lawyer, was found guilty of complicity with the anti-government armed group M23.
Between January and February, M23 forces, supported by Rwanda and its army, carried out major offensives in the east of the country and captured vast swathes of territory along the Rwandan border from the Congolese army.
Shortly after these military setbacks, which weakened the regime in Kinshasa, Kabila, who, according to his entourage, left Congolese soil in 2023, suddenly appeared in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and a stronghold of the M23.
In recent years, the former president has remained very discreet, making occasional appearances in South Africa and Namibia. For now, it is unlikely that Congolese authorities will arrest Kabila, even though he has been sentenced to death.
Joseph Kabila, the son of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the rebel who overthrew dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, inherited power in 2001 after the assassination of his father in January of that year.
Kabila stepped down in 2019 after two terms, and Felix Tshisekedi came to power.
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