Joseph Kabila Faces Treason Trial in DRC Amid Rising Tensions with President Tshisekedi

Former Congolese president Joseph Kabila is facing treason charges in a military court, marking a dramatic turn in his long-standing feud with his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi.

The 53-year-old, who ruled the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 2001 to 2019, is accused of treason, murder, insurgency, and the violent occupation of Goma, a strategic eastern city currently under the control of M23 rebels.

Kabila did not appear at the initial hearing held in Kinshasa on Friday and has firmly denied all allegations. His defense claims the trial is politically motivated.

The trial follows months of escalating tensions between Kabila and President Tshisekedi, who has repeatedly accused Kabila of backing the M23 rebel group. The militia has seized vast portions of mineral-rich eastern Congo, despite a ceasefire agreement reached just last week.

Kabila, who returned in May from a two-year self-imposed exile in South Africa, stirred controversy by reappearing in rebel-held Goma, a move many viewed as symbolic and suspicious.

Shortly after, the DRC Senate revoked his lifetime immunity, clearing the way for prosecution.

In a statement earlier this year, Kabila called the charges "arbitrary" and accused the judiciary of being used as an "instrument of oppression."

In a now-deleted May YouTube video, he lambasted Tshisekedi’s administration as a "dictatorship" and warned of a "decline in democracy." Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya dismissed the video as baseless, asserting that Kabila “has nothing to offer the country.”

Kabila’s allies say the trial is a ploy to silence opposition. Ferdinand Kambere, a former official of the now-banned People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), condemned the proceedings.

“This is a political strategy to exclude Kabila from national politics,” he told local media, criticizing the government for being tough on Kabila while allegedly negotiating with the M23.

The situation has drawn international attention, with the UN and Western nations accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels. Kigali denies these claims, insisting its actions are aimed at containing regional instability.