DR Congo, Belgium in diplomatic spat over Belgian national’s death sentence for alleged coup plot

KIGALI, Rwanda

Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo have become embroiled in a diplomatic spat after a court in Kinshasa upheld a death sentence Monday for a Belgian-Congolese military expert.

The military court handed down the verdict to Jean-Jacques Wondo in an appeal case for allegedly orchestrating an abortive coup last year in Congo, his lawyer said Monday.

The Belgian government announced Monday the immediate recall of its ambassador to Kinshasa for consultations and the summoning of the ambassador of Congo to Brussels “to express our disappointment,” according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

“This death sentence of our compatriot cannot be taken lightly...given the great weaknesses of the elements presented during the hearings and the manifest lack of credible evidence,” it added.

Wondo is among 37 alleged coup plotters, including three Americans, who were convicted on charges including criminal association and terrorism and sentenced to death in September 2024 by the Kinshasa military court.