Sanctionné par les Etats-Unis, l'ex-président congolais Kabila dénonce une décision "injustifiée"
Former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila, sanctioned by the United States which accuses him of supporting the armed group M23, denounced on Friday a "deeply unjustified" decision and assured of his determination to fight against the regime in place "against all forms of pressure".
Washington on Thursday accused Mr. Kabila, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, of seeking to "destabilize the DRC government" and of providing financial support to the M23, an anti-government group backed by Rwanda, which has seized large swathes of territory in the east of the country and claims it wants to overthrow the regime of President Félix Tshisekedi.
Mr. Kabila "learned with astonishment of the decision by the American government targeting him, a decision which he considers deeply unjustified, politically motivated and based on accusations unsupported by irrefutable evidence," according to the statement sent to AFP.
The former president, who is now on the blacklist of individuals subject to economic sanctions by the US government agency OFAC, "reassures the Congolese people" of "his determination to work tirelessly, against all forms of pressure, to put an end to the dictatorship," the text adds.
For its part, Kinshasa on Friday hailed an "important act in support of the fight against impunity", which "restricts the financial mobilization capacities" and "logistical support that could fuel and prolong the war".
At the end of September, the Congolese justice system sentenced Mr. Kabila in absentia to death for "complicity" with the M23 and its political branch, the Congo River Alliance (AFC).
Mr. Kabila said the American decision "is based on the narrative of the Kinshasa government which had been unable to support the accusations made against it with the slightest evidence before the Congolese military justice system."
The DRC and Rwanda signed a fragile peace agreement in Washington in early December under the auspices of President Donald Trump.
This agreement includes an economic component aimed at ensuring that the American high-tech industry has a supply of strategic minerals, of which the Congolese subsoil is abundant.
The DRC government expressed on Friday "its gratitude to the Trump administration" for its decision to sanction Mr. Kabila, stating that it "is part of the efforts to respect the commitments made through the Washington agreements".
Joseph Kabila left power in 2019 after two terms, handing the reins to Félix Tshisekedi.
An expert in the art of secrecy, he has remained very discreet in recent years about his new places of residence, making a few appearances in particular in South Africa and Namibia.
Last year, he made a surprise appearance in Goma, a major city in eastern DRC that fell to the M23 in January 2025.
The United States also recently imposed sanctions on the Rwandan army for its close ties with the M23, provoking anger in Kigali.
AFP
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