Former DR Congo President Kabila Faces Treason Trial in Kinshasa

Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has gone on trial in absentia in a military court in Kinshasa on charges including treason, murder, torture, rape, and supporting the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. Kabila, who ruled the country for 18 years before handing power to Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, denies all charges and has criticized the trial as arbitrary and oppressive. The government accuses him of being the mastermind behind the M23 rebels, who control parts of the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and of conspiring with Rwanda to overthrow Tshisekedi's administration. The UN and several Western nations accuse Rwanda of backing the rebels militarily, a charge Rwanda denies, claiming it acts to prevent conflict spillover. In May 2025, the Congolese Senate stripped Kabila of his lifetime immunity to allow prosecution, and despite a recent ceasefire deal, fighting continues in the region. Kabila's supporters argue the trial is politically motivated, aiming to exclude him from Congolese politics.