France, Oct. 3 -- The death sentence handed to former president Joseph Kabila has deepened political and regional divisions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, exposing the fragile balance between demands for justice and hopes for peace.

Kabila, 54, was convicted in absentia on 30 September by the Military High Court in Kinshasa for treason and war crimes.

Prosecutors accused him of being a founder of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, the political wing of the M23 rebel movement, and the leader of the armed coalition AFC/M23. He has been living abroad since 2023.

The ruling has split opinion.

In Kinshasa, the government and its supporters frame it as a landmark step in the fight against impunity. In the east of the country, where Kabila sti...