The High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on September 30, 2025, sentenced Joseph Kabila Kabange to death.
The president of the court, Lt. Gen. Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, explained that Kabila was found guilty of treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and being part of an illegal armed group.
Kabila’s trial began in July 2025, after the National Assembly stripped him of the immunity he held as a Senator, based on a request from the Military Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecution stated that Kabila committed these crimes as a leader of the AFC/M23 coalition, which controls large parts of North and South Kivu provinces. Kabila denied the allegations in a statement released on September 12, saying he was not part of the coalition.
Lt. Gen. Mutombo said the court found that Kabila was part of the leadership of AFC/M23, supported by evidence of meetings he held with leaders of the group in the cities of Goma and Bukavu, which were said to be aimed at planning war.
Lawyers representing the interests of the Congolese state had asked the court to declare that Kabila was not a Congolese citizen and to convict him as a foreign spy. However, Lt. Gen. Mutombo stated that determining a person’s nationality was beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
Kabila served as President of the DRC from 2001 until 2019, when he handed over power to Félix Tshisekedi based on a power-sharing agreement between their political groups.
Their relationship deteriorated in 2020 when Tshisekedi dissolved the coalition agreement and formed his own political platform, the “Union Sacrée.”
In late 2023, Kabila fled the country amid fears of prosecution and went to South Africa. Since early 2025, he has been seen in several countries in Southern Africa as he resumed political activities.
