The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) senators have overwhelmingly voted to strip former president Joseph Kabila of his immunity.
It follows accusations that he backed the M23 rebel group. On Thursday at People’s Palace in the capital Kinshasa, 88 senators voted in favour of lifting Kabila’s immunity; five opposed, while three abstained.
In its report, the special commission explained the offenses charged against Kabila that include; participation in an insurrectional movement through its alleged links with the M23/AFC and the advice provided to its leaders, treason for supporting the project of overthrowing constitutional institutions in collusion with a foreign power and participation in war crimes due to alleged support for an armed organization responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law.
According to the report, they cited the testimony of Éric Nkuba, co-founder of the AFC, who personally witnessed the telephone conversation between Kabila and Nangaa Corneille Nangaa Yubeluo, leader of the AFC-M23 rebellion in Kampala.
On Friday, Kabila released a statement saying that the action was orchestrated in haste and without respect for institutional balances and is not an act of justice. Kabila says that he does not need immunity to face this, adding that those who designate him as a target today should already be thinking about what they will answer tomorrow.
Kabila also says that those who believe that lifting his immunities will erase their failure are mistaken. He adds that the truth is not voted on, it imposes itself, and it will come.
“I take note of the senate’s decision to lift my immunities. This action, orchestrated in haste and without respect for institutional balances, is not an act of justice. It is a desperate political manoeuvre in a context of widespread panic at the highest levels of the State.”
He added, “To those who believe that lifting my immunities will erase their failure: you are mistaken. The truth is not voted on. It imposes itself. And it will come.
Kabila now faces the prospect of being tried in military courts for “treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity and participation in an insurrectionary movement. Last month, the DRC government, through Justice minister Constant Mutamba, announced the commencement of legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabange Kabila following his visit to Goma, a city currently under the control of M23 rebels.
Kabila, who has been in exile since 2023, made a surprise appearance in Goma, arriving in a large convoy escorted by M23 fighters. Kabila, who led DRC for 18 years, appeared alongside prominent Congolese journalist Steve Wembi, who had also been living in exile in Rwanda.
The visit has fueled widespread speculation that Kabila may be supporting the rebel group. Mutamba ordered the seizure of all movable and immovable property belonging to Kabila. He also announced the nationwide suspension of all activities of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Development (PPRD), of which Kabila is the moral authority.
Several senior PPRD officials were also arrested for questioning over alleged links to the M23 rebels. M23 rebels control the majority of areas in North and South Kivu provinces, including Goma, Bukavu cities, Goma international airport and Kavumu airport.
Of course he should be sorted out on treason charges unlike in Uganda where all sorts of ambitious selfstyled political rebels go in the bush, terrorise civilians left, right and centre duping them that they are being liberated. When in actual fact they are trying to build up an expensive lifestyle for themselves and their families. Now that Joseph Kabila seems not satisfied from what he got from inheriting his father’s dynasty and state house freebies (of free meals and free rent)wants more like the return of the former Pan-African President, Dr Milton Obote of Uganda! Former President of Uganda, Dr Milton Obote managed to convince President Nyerere to return him back to Uganda to start again from where President Amin stopped his brutal civilian vs military junta rule!
These M23 rebels are very young not to know the unfortunate mismanagement of African governance after colonial rule. Now that they have been fighting in the
Congo for years and counting until Jesus comes back to earth, they can never invite any peaceful democratic national elections that are free and fair to be processed in that big country let alone in a small country like Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. India is indeed big country with a big population of 1.5 billion people. The government still manages to organise some sort of peaceful national democratic elections every 5 years without any interferences from a brutal army and police. After such a massive national elections, these Indian citizens go back peacefully to their lives in one piece. Does M23 believe it that when they win their brutal civil wars their Democratic Republic of the Congo as a democracy of a population of 100 million people with over 150 indigenous languages will be able to organise non-violent democratic national elections that are free and fair like Rwanda or Burundi or Uganda do it?