Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has been handed the death penalty after a military court in Kinshasa found him guilty of treason and several other grave charges on Tuesday.
The high military court ruled that Kabila was responsible for treason, war crimes, conspiracy, and plotting an insurrection in collaboration with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered him to pay $29 billion in damages to the Congolese state, along with $2 billion each to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
His immediate arrest was also ordered. Kabila, whose trial in absentia began in July and whose current location remains unknown, faced accusations of treason, involvement in an insurrection, conspiracy, and aiding terrorism.
In August, prosecutors demanded the death penalty, a move Kabila dismissed as politically motivated and aimed at “silencing the opposition.”
According to the government, the former leader collaborated with Rwanda and M23 rebels who stormed and captured key cities in eastern Congo in January during a rapid offensive, maintaining control of the areas since then.
Kabila, who governed the nation from 2001 until 2019, has strongly denied all the allegations.
