The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has formally requested the senate revoke former president Joseph Kabila’s legal immunity.
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba announced Wednesday that prosecutors are seeking to indict Kabila for alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, holds the title of “senator for life,” granting him immunity from prosecution under Congolese law.
Mutamba declared authorities had “irrefutable evidence” of Kabila’s direct support for the M23 rebel group, active in the resource-rich eastern DRC.
The M23, accused by the UN and others of being backed by Rwanda, has seized major cities, including Goma and Bukavu, in recent months.
Violence in eastern Congo has surged since 2021, as the M23 launched renewed offensives against government forces.
President Félix Tshisekedi has publicly accused Kabila of plotting insurrection and aligning with armed militias to destabilize the state.
The justice ministry has filed a formal request with the senate to lift Kabila’s immunity so the High Military Court can pursue charges.
“We expect the senate to lift the immunity purely and simply,” Mutamba told reporters, urging the former president to return and face justice.
Kabila reportedly left the country before the December 2023 presidential election, according to sources close to him.
Authorities suspended Kabila’s political party, the PPRD, on April 19, citing its silence over M23’s territorial advances as complicit.