The Senate in DR Congo voted in favour of a resolution stripping former President Joseph Kabila of immunity after the country’s military high court brought treason and war crimes charges against him. Kabila, a senator for life, is accused of supporting the AFC/M23 rebels, who control swathes of territory in eastern DR Congo, including the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces. ALSO READ: Kabila’s wife says persecuted by Congolese security agencies In a ballot held on Thursday, after days of intense deliberations held behind closed doors, 88 senators voted in favour of the motion, five voted against it and there were three invalid votes. The senators authorized legal proceedings against Kabila, who has fallen out with incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi. Members of the former president’s party have said the charges are part of a “witch hunt.” ALSO READ: Kabila arrives in M23-controlled Goma Kabila’s family accused the Congolese security agencies of persecution in mid-April when they occupied his residence in the capital Kinshasa. On April 18, the Congolese justice ministry announced legal proceedings against Kabila and ordered the seizure of all his properties in the country. Tshisekedi has previously accused Kabila of being behind the AFC/M23 rebels, who took control of the cities of Goma and Bukavu cities after an offensive in January 2025. Kabila, who announced his return from six years of self-imposed exile in early April, has criticized his successor of mismanaging the AFC/M23 crisis. On April 18, Kabila arrived in the rebel-controlled Goma city, after which he returned to Southern Africa where he has been based for years.
