Tag: Joseph Kabila

Sentenced to Death in Congo, Ex-President Kabila Resurfaces in Nairobi to Convene Political Conclave

NAIROBI—Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has emerged from the shadows in Nairobi, convening a gathering of opposition figures just two weeks after being sentenced to death in absentia by a Congolese military court.

The 54-year-old former leader, who ruled the vast Central African nation from 2001 to 2019, was found guilty of treason and crimes against peace by the military tribunal on September 30.

Despite the verdict, Kabila has moved swiftly to reassert himself as a key player in Congolese politics, inviting several opposition leaders to the Kenyan capital for meetings that began on Monday.

According to sources close to the former president, the Nairobi conclave represents an attempt to rebuild an opposition front against his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi.

The gathering comes at a critical juncture, with the eastern DRC engulfed in conflict and political tensions running high in Kinshasa.

“Kabila had already met several leaders in December 2024, in Addis Ababa, but the context has changed considerably since then,” a close associate told The Africa Report. “There is a need to rebuild an opposition front.”

Among those accepting the invitation is Matata Ponyo Mapon, Kabila’s former prime minister, who himself faces a 10-year forced labour sentence for embezzlement handed down by the Constitutional Court in May. Ponyo’s party confirmed in August that he was officially in exile, though his location had remained undisclosed until now.

Seth Kikuni, who ran in the December 2023 presidential election before endorsing opposition heavyweight Moïse Katumbi, has also confirmed his attendance. He will be joined by Franck Diongo, currently in exile in Belgium, and several figures from Kabila’s Front Commun pour le Congo political platform.

The attendee list includes Néhémie Mwilanya Wilondja, Kabila’s former chief of staff; Raymond Tshibanda, the FCC’s crisis cell coordinator; former minister José Makila; and Richard Muyej, former governor of Lualaba province. Members of Kabila’s inner circle, including his adviser Kikaya Bin Karubi and Patient Sayiba Tambwe, are also expected to participate.

However, the gathering has exposed divisions within the opposition. Katumbi, arguably the most prominent opposition leader, declined the invitation and will not send a representative. Delly Sesanga and Jean-Marc Kabund, both invited, have also opted not to attend.

Martin Fayulu, another opposition heavyweight, told The Africa Report he had not been approached about the meeting. Those who declined said they were uncomfortable with the gathering being organized around Kabila in Nairobi.

The former president’s reemergence follows months of strategic positioning. Between February and June, Kabila orchestrated a gradual return to the public eye through media statements and a controversial visit to Goma, the eastern city now under M23 rebel control.

As calls for dialogue intensify among Tshisekedi’s opponents, Kabila appears intent on positioning himself as an indispensable intermediary between the political and military opposition. However, President Tshisekedi has made clear his unwillingness to engage with those he considers proxies for foreign aggressors.

Speaking to the Congolese diaspora in Belgium on October 11, Tshisekedi drew a firm line. “To all those who speak of dialogue and present things in their own way, saying that we do not want dialogue, yes, we do not want that kind of dialogue,” he said. “We want a dialogue among Congolese who are all united against this aggression.”

The Nairobi meeting comes as talks between Congolese authorities and the M23 are scheduled to resume this week in Doha, though prospects for meaningful internal political dialogue remain uncertain.

Kabila’s death sentence, while largely symbolic given his presence outside Congolese jurisdiction, reflects the depth of animosity between him and his successor. The military court’s verdict marks an unprecedented legal action against a former head of state in the DRC and signals Tshisekedi’s determination to consolidate power ahead of future political battles.

Kenya has in recent months emerged as a haven for several Congolese opposition figures, with Kabila having stayed in Nairobi multiple times this year. The country’s role as a neutral ground for political negotiations in the region continues, despite the sensitive nature of hosting figures wanted by neighboring governments.

Whether Kabila’s Nairobi conclave succeeds in forging a unified opposition front remains to be seen. The notable absences suggest that even among Tshisekedi’s critics, rallying around a figure with a death sentence hanging over him may prove a bridge too far.

Former DRC President Joseph Kabila arrives at a Nairobi venue for a meeting with Congolese opposition figures, his first public appearance since being sentenced to death in absentia by a military court in Kinshasa. (Photo: handout)

October 14, 2025
Congo Military Court Sentences Ex-President Kabila to Death In Absentia

KINSHASA, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday by a military court that convicted him of war crimes, treason, and crimes against humanity.

The case stems from his alleged role in backing the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Congo’s volatile east. Kabila, who led Congo from 2001 to 2019, has denied wrongdoing and said the judiciary has been politicised.

Lieutenant-General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, presiding over the tribunal in Kinshasa, said Kabila was found guilty of charges that included murder, sexual assault, torture, and insurrection.

Kabila did not attend the trial and was not represented by legal counsel. Neither he nor his representatives were immediately available for comment. His whereabouts were not immediately known.

ORDERED TO PAY $50 BILLION IN DAMAGES

“In applying Article 7 of the Military Penal Code, it imposes a single sentence, namely the most severe one, which is the death penalty,” Katalayi said while delivering the verdict.

He was also ordered to pay around $50 billion in various damages to the state and victims.

The verdict could fuel further divisions in the vast mineral-rich central African nation that has endured decades of conflicts.

Kabila spent almost two decades in power and only stepped down after deadly protests against him. Since late 2023, he has been residing mostly in South Africa, though he did appear in rebel-held Goma in eastern Congo in May.

He entered into an awkward power-sharing deal with his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, but their relationship soon soured.

As M23 marched on east Congo’s second-largest city of Bukavu in February, Tshisekedi told the Munich Security Conference that Kabila had sponsored the insurgency.

M23 now controls much of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The fighting killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year. The two sides signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in June, although they are both reinforcing their positionsand blaming one another for flouting the accord, sources have told Reuters.

Rwanda, which has long denied helping M23, says its forces act in self-defence against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Tshisekedi’s government has moved to suspend Kabila’s political party and seize the assets of its leaders.

September 30, 2025
Former DR Congo President on Trial For Treason

The treason trial of the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has begun in a military court in the capital, Kinshasa.

He also faces other charges, such as murder, linked to his alleged support for M23 rebels – who control a large part of the mineral-rich east of the country. He denies the charges and did not appear at the hearing.

Kabila’s successor, President Félix Tshisekedi, has accused him of being the brains behind the rebels.

The former president has rejected the case as “arbitrary” and said the courts were being used as an “instrument of oppression”.

A ceasefire deal between the rebels and the government was agreed last week, but fighting has continued.

Kabila had been living outside the country for two years, but arrived in the rebel-held city of Goma, in eastern DR Congo, from self-imposed exile in South Africa in May.

Pointing to overwhelming evidence, the UN and several Western countries have accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23, and sending thousands of its soldiers into DR Congo. But Kigali denies the charges, saying it is acting to stop the conflict from spilling over onto its territory.

In May, the upper house of the legislature lifted Mr Kabila’s immunity as senator for life to allow his prosecution on charges that include treason, murder, taking part in an insurrectionist movement, and the forcible occupation of Goma.

The 53-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001. Joseph Kabila was just 29 at the time.

He handed power to President Félix Tshisekedi following a disputed election in 2019, but they later fell out.

In a now-deleted YouTube video released in May, Kabila lashed out at the Congolese government calling it a “dictatorship”, and said there was a “decline of democracy” in the country.

At the time the Congolese government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, rejected Kabila’s allegations, saying he had “nothing to offer the country”.

Ahead of Friday’s trial, Ferdinand Kambere – a close ally of Kabila who served in his now-banned PPRD party, accused the government of “double standards”. He said it was too soft in its peace deal but too hard on Kabila, adding that the trial was a way to exclude Kabila from the country’s politics.

(BBC)

July 25, 2025
Ex-DR Congo President Returns From Self-Imposed Exile, Party Says

Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila is back in the country for the first time in two years, having arrived in the rebel-held eastern city of Goma, spokespeople for the rebels as well as a youth leader from his party have said.

Kabila’s arrival comes after senators stripped him of his immunity over alleged support for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group which has been fighting the Congolese army.

Kabila, who has previously denied links with the rebel group, recently decried the justice system , alleging it was “exploited for political ends”.

The 53-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001.

He handed power to President Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, but they later fell out.

Speaking to the BBC, a Goma youth leader for Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), confirmed earlier reports from the M23 that Kabila had arrived in Goma.

“Kabila should be allowed full access to the country. For us it is like a father has returned to his children,” Innocent Mirimo told BBC Swahili.

Last month, the PPRD was banned by the authorities in the capital, Kinshasa, who accused of having an “ambiguous attitude” towards the capture of Congolese territory by the M23.

In a message on X, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka welcomed Kabila to Goma saying: “We wish him a pleasant stay in the liberated areas.”

A similar message was shared by another spokesperson, Willy Ngoma.

The Congolese authorities accuse Kabila of war crimes and treason, alleging there is a “substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts” that link the former leader to the M23.

In a now-deleted YouTube video released on Friday, Kabila called the Congolese government a “dictatorship”, and said there was a “decline of democracy” in the country.

Congolese government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, rejected Kabila’s allegations, saying he had “nothing to offer the country”.

Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 first broke out in 2012 and ended in a peace deal the following year. But in 2021 the group took up arms again, saying the promises made in the deal had been broken.

Since the beginning of this year, the M23 has made major advances in the mineral-rich east, including taking Goma in January.

The conflict has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the last few months.

Kabila has been living outside the country, in South Africa, for the past two years. At the beginning of last month he said he would be returning to help find a solution to the conflict.

(BBC)

May 27, 2025
DR Congo Strips Ex-Leader of Immunity Over Treason Charges

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s senate has stripped former President Joseph Kabila of his immunity, paving the way for his prosecution over his alleged backing of rebels in the east.

Authorities have accused him of treason and war crimes, saying there was a “substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts” linking Kabila to the M23 armed group, which has taken control of several towns in the mineral-rich east.

Kabila, 53, has not commented on the accusations but has in the past denied any connection with the insurgents.

Nearly 90 senators on Thursday voted in favour of his treason prosecution, while five opposed it.

“The senate authorises the prosecution and lifting of Joseph Kabila’s immunity,” declared senate Speaker Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde after Thursday’s vote.

The former president, who led the country between 2001 and 2019, did not appear before the senate to defend himself.

After stepping down, he was given the title of “senator for life”, which gives him legal immunity.

In order to pursue the charges against him, DR Congo’s military prosecutor had asked the senate to lift this privilege.

Kabila has been living outside the country, in South Africa, for the past two years. But at the beginning of last month he said he would be returning to help find a solution to the conflict in the east.

A few weeks later, there were reports that the former president had come back and was in Goma, one of the cities captured by the M23.

But these were denied by his political party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD).

Last month, the authorities banned the PPRD because of its “ambiguous attitude” to the occupation of Congolese territory by the M23.

Ordering the seizure of Kabila’s assets, Justice Minister Mutamba said the former president should return to the country and “face justice… and present his defence”.

Analysts say any trial of Kabila could further destabilise the country, which has been battling the M23 rebellion since 2012.

Kabila’s party termed his prosecution “pure theatre” aimed at distracting Congolese people from the main challenges facing the country, AFP news agency reported.

Kabila, a former military officer, took over leadership of the country in 2001 at the age of just 29, after his father Laurent Kabila, was assassinated.

While Kabila supported Tshisekedi’s rise to power, they later fell out and relations between their parties’ coalition formally ended in December 2020.

Kabila has retained significant power through his political party and his influence within the ruling coalition, potentially undermining Tshisekedi’s presidency.

Kabila left DR Congo in 2023, officially to study in South Africa.

Fighting between the M23 and the Congolese army and allied militia has continued in the east as the rebels attempt to expand their territory.

DR Congo and Rwanda, which denies accusations it backs the M23, may be edging towards a peace deal to end the fighting, which has seen hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes in recent months.

The two countries signed a preliminary agreement in Washington last month and said they had agreed on a pathway to peace.

Last year, three M23 leaders were prosecuted in absentia by a military court and given death sentences for treason.

The government in March offered a reward of $5m (£4m) for help arresting the rebel leaders – Corneille Nangaa, Sultani Makenga and Bertrand Bisimwa.

(BBC)

May 24, 2025
DR Congo Orders Property Seizure, Legal Action Against Former President Kabila

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) government has “ordered” legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabila and ordered the seizure of all his movable and immovable assets.

Authorities accuse Kabila of supporting and participating in armed conflict alongside M23 rebels.

In a communiqué released on Friday, April 18, the Congolese ministry of justice stated that it had directed the Auditor General of the DR Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation to begin legal action against Kabila for his alleged “direct participation” in the aggression carried out by the AFC/M23.

“Furthermore, movement restrictions have been imposed against all of his collaborators implicated in this case,” it went on.

Last week, Kabila’s wife, Olive Lembe, said she was facing persecution at the hands of the country’s security agencies.

Lembe, who married Kabila in 2006, continues to reside in DR Congo even though her husband has been in exile for over a year before his recent announcement that he is returning to the country.

“It is persecution that we are suffering from the security services and this regime,” Lembe said in an interview with local media.

Kabila said in early March that he had suspended his studies in South Africa to “deal with the worsening situation,” in eastern DR Congo, where a government coalition has been fighting the AFC/M23 rebels for over three years. The rebels now control the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.

On Friday, April 18, Kabila reportedly arrived in Goma, 10 days after he said he would return to the country after six years of silence and exile.

Since the beginning of 2025, the rebel alliance, which includes the M23 rebels, has gained more Congolese support, with a growing number of political leaders and businesspeople joining its cause.

Government soldiers and police forces, as well as a number of armed groups have joined the ranks of the rebels, who fight for the protection of Congolese Tutsi communities who have suffered decades of ethnic violence.

The AFC/M23 rebels also condemn widespread corruption and bad governance, which have rendered the mineral-rich country ungovernable.

The Congolese government and the rebels held direct talks in Doha, Qatar on April 10, the first of its kind since the M23 rebellion resurfaced in late 2021 after nearly a decade of hibernation.

April 20, 2025
Kabila Returns To Congo

On Friday, April 18, former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila reportedly arrived in Goma, fulfilling his promise to return to the country after six years of silence and exile.

In early March, President Kabila announced the suspension of his studies in South Africa to address the escalating crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The conflict, which has been ongoing for over three years, involves a government coalition engaged in a protracted struggle against the AFC/M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo. The rebels now control the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Kabila, whose family has accused the Congolese government of abuses, is expected to address the nation from the rebel-controlled capital of North Kivu province, RFI reported on Friday, citing sources close to the former president.

The immediate former president has previously accused his successor Felix Tshisekedi of mismanaging the security crisis and of bringing the vast country “close to imploding.”

Tshisekedi has previously accused Kabila of being behind the AFC/M23 rebels.

The residence of the former president in Kinshasa have recently been searched by security agencies, which his wife Marie Olive Lembe accused of “persecution.” She was quoted by RFI, saying the agencies “came looking for weapons.” “Generators, solar panels, vehicles… They took everything!”

The French radio said a seizure report by the military police confirmed the confiscation of several vehicles, batteries, generators, and a batch of solar equipment.

Kabila, who was based in South Africa and Zimbabwe, told Jeune Afrique on April 8 that he would be returning after having met with various presidents and former presidents in the region as well as Congolese politicians. He had said he would return to his country through the eastern part, which has been volatile for three decades.

“I decided to start with the eastern part, because there is danger there,” he told the French publication.

Kabila has recently voiced concern over the ongoing instability in DR Congo, emphasizing the importance of internal solutions to national problems.

He has emphasised that the conflict with the rebels, whom Tshisekedi alleges get support from Rwanda, can only be resolved by dialogue within the Congolese people.

He criticized Tshisekedi’s tendency to blame foreign actors for the crisis and outsourcing security by hiring European mercenaries and using foreign armies. He urges Congolese leaders and citizens to take responsibility in resolving the crisis.

Kabila left office in 2019 and had remained silent until February this year. Tshisekedi has accused Kabila of being behind the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) that is led by Corneille Nangaa, DR Congo’s former electoral chief. Kabila dismissed allegation in March saying that the conflict would be different if he was personally involved.

The conflict in eastern DR Congo escalated in January after the AFC/M23 rebels took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, before seizing Bukavu the capital of South Kivu in mid-February.

Since the beginning of 2025, the rebel alliance, which includes the M23 rebels, has gained more Congolese support, with a growing number of political leaders and businesspeople joining its cause.

Government soldiers and police forces, as well as a number of armed groups have joined the ranks of the rebels, who fight for the protection of Congolese Tutsi communities who have suffered decades of ethnic violence.

The AFC/M23 rebels also condemn widespread corruption and bad governance, which have rendered the mineral-rich country ungovernable.

The Congolese government and the rebels held direct talks in Doha, Qatar on April 10, the first of its kind since the M23 rebellion resurfaced in late 2021 after nearly a decade of hibernation.

April 19, 2025