DR Congo Ex-Leader Joseph Kabila Goes on Trial for Treason
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, JUL 24 – Joseph Kabila faces multiple charges including treason and homicide for allegedly supporting the M23 militia, which controls parts of eastern Congo, according to court documents.
- Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila went on trial for treason in absentia on 25 July 2025 at a military court in Kinshasa.
- The trial followed the Senate lifting Kabila's lifetime senator immunity in May to prosecute him for alleged support of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
- Kabila, who ruled for 18 years after succeeding his assassinated father in 2001, denies all charges and calls the case arbitrary and courts instruments of oppression.
- The charges encompass treason, murder, insurrection, and the forceful takeover of Goma, an important city in the eastern region that was captured by M23 rebels in January 2025, who have engaged in ongoing conflict with the government despite a recent ceasefire agreement.
- The trial highlights ongoing political tensions and conflict in eastern Congo, with accusations that the proceedings aim to exclude Kabila from national politics while fighting and peace efforts continue.
24 Articles
24 Articles
The trial of former President Joseph Kabila has begun in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. He is accused of "crimes against peace" for supporting the M23 rebels in the east of the country. Kabila himself is not present in court: he lived in South Africa for several years and traveled to the eastern Congolese city of Goma, which is occupied by M23, in May. He denies the charges against him and claims that the justice system is being abused against…
Opposing President Félix Tshisekedi, the former Head of State is accused of complicity with M23, an armed group supported by Rwanda.
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