DRC / Historic trial: New charges further incriminate former president Kabila
The High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ordered on Friday the reopening of hearings in the trial of former President Joseph Kabila Kabange. The session, which was initially expected to deliver a verdict, was suspended following a request from the civil party, represented by the Congolese state, seeking to introduce new evidence and increase its compensation claims. The case has been adjourned until September 19.
At the opening of the hearing, the state’s lawyers surprised observers by requesting a resumption of proceedings. They notably intend to call three new witnesses expected to demonstrate Joseph Kabila’s alleged involvement in financing the Alliance of Forces for Change (AFC/M23), a movement accused of receiving support from Rwanda. According to the civil party, these witnesses could trace the financing channels and confirm that the former head of state allowed a foreigner to rule the DRC for 18 years.
The lawyers also requested the requalification of certain charges, shifting from “treason” to “espionage,” arguing that the issue of the former president’s nationality now requires examination. In addition, they asked for damages initially set at $24 billion to be increased to $30 billion.
The trial, which opened on July 25, is being held in the absence of Joseph Kabila, who is being tried in absentia. The former president, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, faces serious accusations: treason, conspiracy, participation in an insurrectional movement, apology for terrorism, and crimes against humanity, linked to an alleged complicity with the M23. Under Congolese law, such charges are punishable by death.
The absence of an official defense for the accused has sparked strong criticism. His supporters denounce what they describe as a political trial aimed at sidelining a still influential figure in the national arena. The People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) has called it a “staged show” orchestrated by the authorities, accusing them of seeking to neutralize a political opponent at the expense of national unity.
