By Editorial,
Former Democratic Republic of Congo President, Joseph Kabila has been sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes and treason.
The charges concern accusations that Kabila has been supporting the M23, a rebel group that has wreaked devastation across the country’s eastern region.
Mr. Kabila was convicted on Friday by a military court of treason, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection.
The ex-president rejected the case as “arbitrary” and said the courts were being used as an “instrument of oppression” though his current whereabouts are unknown and therefore, did not appear in court.
The 54-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father Mr. Laurent Kabila, who was shot dead in 2001. Mr. Kabila handed power to President Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, but they later fell out and Kabila went into self-imposed exile in 2023. END
