Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has asked a US court in Washington to remove his name from a Treasury blacklist, arguing that sanctions imposed on him were based on unsubstantiated allegations.
Kabila, who led the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2001 to 2019, filed a suit challenging his designation by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in April.
Washington accused Kabila of financing and providing political support to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who seized control of two provinces in eastern Congo last year.
Kabila, however, argued that the US government had not identified any transfer of funds or specific political support he provided to the rebels.
After years in self-imposed exile, Kabila returned to eastern Congo and emerged in Goma last year, only months after the city was captured by M23 rebels.
A military court has since sentenced Kabila to death in absentia on treason and other charges linked to his alleged involvement with M23.
Violence has continued in eastern Congo despite a peace deal between Kinshasa and Kigali, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement.
Africanews
