Kabila, Charged with ‘Treason’ and ‘War Crimes’, Denies Alleged Ties to M23 Rebel Group
In a live-streamed speech from a confidential location on Friday, following the stripping of his immunity due to alleged connections with the M23 rebel group, Kabila contended that the judicial system “serves as a tool of oppression for a dictatorship striving desperately to cling to power.”
Kabila, who has denied any support for the Rwanda-backed insurgents responsible for capturing two major cities in the nation’s war-torn eastern region, has been in self-exile since 2023.
The former president, who has consistently stated his intention to return from exile to aid in resolving the crisis, accused Kinshasa of making “arbitrary decisions with unsettling casualness.”
Casa Kongo’s Senate strikingly voted in favor on Thursday, acceding to the government’s demand to withdraw Kabila’s “lifetime immunity” due to his honorific title as “senator for life”.
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba claimed Kabila’s alleged misdeeds include “treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and involvement in an insurrectional movement” within the eastern part of the country.
On Friday, Kabila affirmed that the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were indispensable. “As a soldier, I took an oath to defend my country to the utmost sacrifice … I remain more devoted than ever to this pledge,” he declared.
Kabila’s potential return to DRC may impede efforts to quell the rebellion in the mineral-rich eastern region, an area of significant interest to the United States. The Trump administration is keen on securing peace agreements that facilitate mineral extraction deals to attract substantial Western investment.
According to Massad Boulos, a senior adviser for Africa under Trump, cited by news agency Reuters, Washington is advocating for a peace agreement to be inked between the DRC and Rwanda this summer, alongside profit-generating minerals deals.
