The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has requested the death penalty for former president Joseph Kabila Kabange.
The DRC government accused Kabila of being the “intellectual instigator” of atrocities committed by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. Last Friday, Lt. Gen. Likulia Bakumi Lucien-René, auditor general of the Armed Forces of the DRC, represented the Attorney General before a military court.
Bakumi stated that Kabila’s actions led to widespread violence, murders, rapes, and property destruction, justifying individual criminal responsibility.
In addition to the death penalty, the prosecution is seeking a 20-year prison sentence for condoning war crimes, a 15-year prison sentence for conspiracy against the state, the immediate arrest and imprisonment of Kabila and an order for him to pay court costs.
Background and context
The legal proceedings against Kabila began in April 2025, following a visit he made to Goma, a city that is currently under M23 rebel control. The government has since ordered the seizure of all of Kabila’s assets and suspended all activities of his political party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Development (PPRD).
Several senior PPRD officials have also been arrested and questioned over their alleged links to the rebels. Last year, the M23 rebels announced Kabila’s arrival in Goma. Since then, he has been seen in the company of M23 leaders and has held meetings with various stakeholders, including religious leaders.
The High Military Court, which is handling the trial in Kabila’s absence, is expected to deliver its verdict on September 1, 2025. Kabila has not yet issued a public statement regarding the charges.
Kabila knows that the DRC Gov’t is too weak to do anything to him. He isn’t an id** to take risks without calculating his gains. Let’s work with Trump to end instability in the Great Lakes region, once and for all!
Robert, it’s not that simple. The war between Russia and Ukraine is tied to history, security, and resources. For Russia, this is the third time it has faced pressure from Western powers, and many there see it as a struggle to defend their sovereignty.
Africa has its own lessons here. Take the Congo: before colonialism it was viable, but colonial borders and systems turned it into a tragedy. King Leopold’s partition of Congo ignored the people and their realities. The same happened across the Sahel, from Senegal to Sudan, where borders cut across communities and created long-term challenges.
Here in the Great Lakes, we feel this even more. Rwanda and Burundi, for example, were never designed to be sustainable within the borders left behind. Too many people were confined in small territories, with consequences we still see today.
This is why I believe quick-fix solutions—like those sometimes pushed by the U.S. to end the war in Congo—cannot succeed if they do not first address the deeper colonial legacy. Without tackling the root causes, peace will always be fragile and short-lived.