The National Council of Bishops of Congo (CENCO) has strongly condemned the death sentence handed down to former President Joseph Kabila by the High Military Court in Kinshasa. In a statement signed by Archbishop Fulgence Muteba, CENCO President, and Monsignor Donatien Nshole, Secretary General, the bishops described the death penalty as incompatible with Gospel values.
Kabila, 54, went on trial in July accused of treason, war crimes and complicity with the M23 anti-government armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwandan help. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
According to the bishops, the punitive logic of the death penalty fails to promote peace or national unity. Instead, they emphasized the importance of inclusive dialogue to address the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Inclusive dialogue remains the best way to address the sources of these conflicts and restore unity and peace,” the statement read.
The bishops also called for joint efforts to reject the death penalty and prioritize peacebuilding to ensure territorial integrity and the well-being of the Congolese people.
Former President Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia on September 30, 2025, for war crimes and treason. The charges relate to allegations that Kabila has been supporting the M23 rebel group, which has destroyed in the eastern region of the country. Kabila has denied the allegations, describing the case as “arbitrary” and claiming that the courts are being used as an “instrument of oppression”
