The Democratic Republic of Congo's senate voted overwhelmingly in favour of lifting former President Joseph Kabila's immunity from prosecution in a late-night vote on Thursday over his alleged links to the M23 rebel group.

Kabila is wanted in the DRC accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly supporting the insurgency in the east, including an alleged role in the massacre of civilians and personnel. The government has also moved to suspend his political party and seize the assets of its leaders.

Kabila, who denies any ties to the rebel group, stepped down after almost 20 years in power in 2018, yielding to protests. He has been out of the Central African country since late 2023, mostly in South Africa.

The senate backed lifting his immunity by 88 votes to 5 in a secret ballot.

M23 rebellion

Kabila has suggested returning to the Congo to help find a solution to the crisis in the east, where M23 rebels now control large swathes of territory.

Washington is pushing for a peace agreement between the two sides to be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, told Reuters earlier this month.

Kabila came to power in 2001 after his father's assassination. He refused to stand down when his final term officially ended in 2016, leading to deadly protests, before agreeing to leave office after an election in 2018.