En RD Congo, le gouvernement a ordonné des poursuites judiciaires contre l’ancien président Joseph Kabila et des responsables de son parti politique, le PPRD.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned all the activities of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) above whose leadership recently stepped Joseph Kabila , amid the mounting a...

Quatre grandes figures de l’opposition congolaise, longtemps divisées, s’expriment d’une seule voix. Dans une déclaration commune, Martin Fayulu, Moïse Katumbi, Delly Sesanga et Joseph Kabila dénoncent la mauvaise gouvernance et la dérive autoritaire…

Invité de France 24, Paul Nsapu Mukulu, président de la Commission nationale des droits de l'Homme de RDC s'est notamment alarmé des violences dans l'est du pays, commises par toutes les parties au conflit, selon l'ONU.

L’entrée des rebelles du M23 et de forces rwandaises à Goma, grande ville frontalière de l’est de la République démocratique du Congo, ravive les braises d’un conflit de plusieurs décennies dans la région congolaise du Nord-Kivu, au centre d’une guer…

Key takeaways De senaat van de Democratische Republiek Congo heeft gestemd voor het opheffen van de immuniteit die voormalig president Joseph Kabila beschermt, waardoor hij mogelijk beschuldigd kan worden van verraad. Het besluit komt voort uit beschuldigingen dat Kabila de rebellengroep M23 heeft gesteund, die de controle heeft overgenomen over verschillende steden in de grondstofrijke […]

The treason trial of former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila opened on Friday in Kinshasa before a

Joseph Kabila, the former DRC president, is on trial for treason, war crimes, and supporting a rebel group.

YouTube video by B.C. Begley

The streets of Kinshasa are bracing for mass mobilization today. Members of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) are holding a peaceful

Congo's military auditor general formally told a military court that he is seeking the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila.

Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila appeared for the first time in public in rebel-held territory in the country's volatile east.

Des partisans du parti présidentiel (UPDS) ont exprimé, dans la rue, leur opposition à un projet de loi porté par le parti de l’ancien président Kabila (FCC). La position du président élu se fragilise...

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) 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 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, DRC’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, 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 says 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. The post DR Congo strips ex-leader of immunity over treason charges appeared first on The Namibian.

The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are seeking to lift former President Joseph Kabila’s immunity from prosecution after accusing him of backing rebels in the east. There was a “substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts” linking Kabila to the M23 armed group, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said on Wednesday. The M23 currently controls parts of the mineral-rich east of the country after making significant advances earlier this year. Kabila, 53, has not commented on the accusations but has in the past denied any connection with the insurgents. He 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. After stepping down, he was given the title of “senator for life”, which gives him legal immunity. In order to pursue a legal case, DR Congo’s military prosecutor has asked the senate to overturn this. 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. Justice Minister Mutamba, who last month ordered the seizure of Kabila’s assets, said the former president should return to the country and “face justice… and present his defence”. 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 week and said they would have a draft deal by Friday. Who is Joseph Kabila? After being sworn in as president following his father’s death, Kabila twice won elections. His second and final elected term in office officially ended in December 2016, but he refused to step down, saying it wasn’t possible to organise elections, leading to deadly protests. He stayed in power for two more years until elections were finally held in 2018. In January 2019, he handed power to Félix Tshisekedi, the official winner of a disputed election, which many election observers said was rightfully won by Martin Fayulu. He accused Kabila and Tshisekedi of agreeing a deal to exclude him from power – something both men have denied. But relations between the pair worsened and their parties’ coalition was formally ended in December 2020. Kabila left DR Congo in 2023, officially to study in South Africa. In January 2024, his doctoral thesis on the geopolitics of African relations with the US, China and Russia was validated at the University of Johannesburg. – BBC Additional reporting by Aaron Akinyemi and BBC Monitoring The post DR Congo seeks to remove ex-President Kabila’s immunity appeared first on The Namibian.