Congo’s public prosecutor on Friday requested the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila, who is being tried in absentia on treason charges that include war crimes linked to his alleged support for the M23 rebel group.

Kabila, who led Congo from 2001 to 2019, has faced trial since July for war crimes, murder, and rape. He became president at 29 after the assassination of his father, former President Laurent Kabila, and extended his term by delaying elections for two years after 2017.

The Congolese government accuses him of backing the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have seized key towns in eastern Congo in recent months. Kabila had lived in self-imposed exile since 2023 but returned in April to Goma after the city fell to the rebels. His current whereabouts are unknown. Supporters claim the trial is politically motivated.

Prosecutor Gen. Lucien René Likulia asked for, in addition to the death penalty, a 20-year sentence for allegedly condoning war crimes and 15 years for conspiracy, without detailing the specific incidents. No date has been set for the verdict.

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President Felix Tshisekedi accused Kabila last year of supporting the rebels and planning an insurrection, charges Kabila denies. Ferdinand Kambere, a former minister under Kabila, called the immunity revocation “the start of a campaign against him,” while analyst Henry-Pacifique Mayala described the prosecution’s demands as “more about settling scores than seeking truth.”