• DRC's military prosecutor demands the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila.
• Kabila faces charges of treason, war crimes, and supporting the M23 rebel group.
• The former president’s party claims the trial is politically motivated.
• Kabila has been in self-imposed exile for two years, raising concerns over his influence.
• The DRC lifted the death penalty moratorium last year but has yet to carry out executions.

A military prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has called for the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila, who is currently on trial in absentia for multiple serious charges including treason and war crimes associated with the M23 rebel group. General Lucien Rene Likulia, the military auditor general, stated that Kabila is accused of "homicide, torture, and organising an insurrection," highlighting his alleged complicity in the violence caused by M23 in eastern DRC, a mineral-rich region that has been heavily impacted by conflict this year, according to Al Jazeera and Le Monde.

Kabila, who went on trial in absentia in July 2025, is alleged to have plotted to overthrow current President Felix Tshisekedi and is implicated in serious human rights abuses linked to the M23 group. General Likulia stated that Kabila’s actions had led to "immense prejudice" to the nation. The charge sheet details accusations of his responsibility for the "forcible occupation of the city of Goma" by M23 fighters earlier this year, according to Africanews and Le Monde.

Kabila is accused not only of treason but of actively collaborating with foreign influences, particularly Rwanda, to destabilize the DRC’s legitimate government. His political party has labeled the proceedings as a "political trial," citing the government's attempts to suppress dissent from opposition leaders. Ferdinand Kambere, a prominent member of Kabila's political party, denounced the prosecution as a "continuation of oppression" against opposition figures, echoing sentiments reported by Al Jazeera and Africanews.