DRC opposition leader Jean-Marc Kabund was sentenced to seven years in prison on September 13 on twelve charges including insulting President Felix Tshisekedi.
Kabund, once a close ally of the president, briefly served as interim leader of the now-ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party in February 2017 following the death of Tshisekedi’s father, Etienne.
Kabund is a former ally of the president who briefly took over as interim leader of the now-ruling party Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in February 2017 when Tshisekedi’s father Etienne died.
After Felix Tshisekedi became president in 2019, Kabund was elected as the first vice-president of the National Assembly. However, he resigned from this position three years later and was dismissed as interim UDPS president in January 2022.
In July 2022, Kabund announced the formation of his new party, the Alliance for Change, and declared his intention to challenge Tshisekedi in the 2023 elections during a press conference where he labeled the president a “danger.”
Kabund was later arrested and detained at the Makala main prison in Kinshasa on 9 August 2022 on charges of insulting the head of state and spreading false rumors amongst other things.
He will remain in jail until 2030 unless he is pardoned by President Tshisekedi since a Court of Cassation verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
President Tshisekedi is expected to seek a second term during the Democratic Republic of Congo general elections scheduled for December 20.
