Defying Odds: Ex-Congo Leader Kabila Attends Kenyan Political Summit Amid Controversial Death Sentence

NAIROBI – Making a rare public appearance, the former leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, surfaced in Kenya on Wednesday. His appearance marks the first since being sentenced to death in absentia on charges of treason and war crimes. Kabila joined other leaders in Nairobi to form a political coalition opposing Congo’s current president.

Kabila was seen at a gathering in the heart of Kenya’s capital, where he was accompanied by a dozen Congolese leaders united in their opposition to President Felix Tshisekedi.

This move by Kabila is anticipated to cause diplomatic tension, as Congo’s government has previously criticized Kenya for allegedly backing the Congo-based rebel group M23.

During the meeting, the leaders signed a declaration to launch a new political movement. They expressed their mission to engage “all Congolese people opposed to dictatorship” with the aim of ending tyranny, restoring state authority, establishing democracy, and fostering national reconciliation.

The government in Kinshasa accuses Kabila of allying with Rwanda and the Rwanda-supported M23 group, which has aggressively captured strategic cities in Congo’s resource-rich eastern region since January.

The People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, which Kabila led while serving as president from 2001 to 2019, said the death sentence issued by the high military court Sept. 30 was politically motivated.

Kabila denies the allegations, but expressed support for the rebels’ campaign in a February opinion article in the South African newspaper Sunday Times.

Kabila came to power at age 29, taking over from his father, former President Laurent Kabila, who was assassinated in 2001 while still in office. When his term ended in 2017, Kabila extended his rule by delaying elections for two years.

Tshisekedi’s 2019 election marked the first peaceful transition of power in Congo since the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960. He entered an initial power-sharing agreement after failing to gain a parliamentary majority over Kabila’s opposition coalition, which still controlled Parliament and key institutions.

The relationship continued to sour until Kabila fled Congo earlier this year.