Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death.

Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death.

Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician. He is a former military officer. He served as the fourth president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 2001 to 2019. He took office shortly after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila, during the Second Congo War. Kabila was the youngest head of state in the world at the time, assuming the presidency at the age of 29. During his presidency, Kabila is credited with ending the Second Congo War and restoring relative stability to much of the country, although conflict continued in the eastern regions. He founded the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) in 2002. In 2006, he presided over the first multi-party elections in the DRC in decades. He won the presidency and was re-elected in 2011. His government focused on encouraging foreign investment in mining and improving infrastructure, leading to significant economic growth, despite being plagued by corruption, embezzlement, and human rights violations. Kabila's presidency was criticized for its authoritarian nature and electoral controversies. His term was scheduled to end in December 2016, but elections were postponed until 2018. Under pressure, he eventually resigned and did not seek a third term. In 2019, Félix Tshisekedi succeeded him in the first peaceful transition of power since independence. As a former president, Kabila is a senator for life. However, in 2025, he was indicted on charges of treason, murder, and sexual assault in connection with his alleged support of the M23 rebel group in eastern Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Kabila denies these charges and criticized the trial as politically motivated. The trial was postponed while prosecutors gathered further evidence. Current President Tshisekedi accuses Kabila of masterminding the M23 insurgency. The situation remains tense due to ongoing conflict in the eastern region and international concerns about foreign involvement. Joseph Kabila was born on June 4, 1971, in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the son of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, a former rebel leader and president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now, Joseph Kabila, who is being tried in absentia by a military tribunal, has been sentenced to death. The Comptroller General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo described Kabila as the mastermind of the M23's violence, including murder, rape, and torture. @https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/22/drc-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty-for-former-leader-joseph-kabila @https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/joseph-kabila/ @https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cx1m7zg0wxqt @https://theconversation.com/topics/joseph-kabila-26275 @https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/ap-congos-prosecutor-asks-for-the-death-penalty-for-former-president-kabila-for-war-crimes/ @https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kabila @https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator_for_life