A Congolese military court has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia upon convicting him of crimes against humanity, sexual assaults, and treason.

Mr Kabila, 54, who ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo for almost two decades, between 2001 and 2019, was convicted of treason by a military tribunal in Kinshasa on Tuesday.

Accused by Congolese authorities of collaborating and supporting M23, a Rwandan-backed rebel group terrorising eastern Congo, Mr Kabila, amongst many other crimes, was convicted of war crimes, murder, sexual assault, torture, conspiracy, and supporting terrorism. 

Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi, who presided over the military tribunal, read out the verdict for about four hours.

Mr Kabila had always been the “undisputed leader of M23″, Mr Mutombo said. 

“In applying Article 7 of the Military Penal Code, it imposes a single sentence, namely the most severe one, which is the death penalty,” he explained.

Though Mr Kabila’s whereabouts remain unknown, an appeal against the death sentence pronounced by the military tribunal is still possible.

Meanwhile, Mr Kabila’s party, the Common Front for Congo, has dismissed the death sentence as “illegal from start to finish,” adding it is a “tragicomedy”.