Goma, DR Congo – Joseph Kabila, the former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has reportedly returned to the country for the first time in two years, arriving in Goma, the eastern city currently held by the M23 rebel group. The news has been confirmed by spokespeople for the M23 and a youth leader from Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD).
Kabila’s unexpected arrival in a rebel-controlled area follows a recent decision by Congolese senators to strip him of his immunity over alleged support for the Rwanda-backed M23. The former president, who governed DR Congo for 18 years after succeeding his assassinated father Laurent in 2001, has consistently denied links with the rebel group and recently decried the justice system as being “exploited for political ends.”
Innocent Mirimo, a Goma youth leader for Kabila’s PPRD, confirmed his arrival to the BBC, stating, “Kabila should be allowed full access to the country. For us it is like a father has returned to his children.” This sentiment comes after the PPRD was banned by authorities in the capital, Kinshasa, last month, accused of an “ambiguous attitude” towards the M23’s territorial gains.
M23 spokespersons Lawrence Kanyuka and Willy Ngoma publicly welcomed Kabila to Goma on social media, with Kanyuka writing, “We wish him a pleasant stay in the liberated areas.”
The Congolese authorities accuse Kabila of war crimes and treason, alleging “substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts” linking him to the M23. In a now-deleted YouTube video released last Friday, Kabila labelled the current Congolese government a “dictatorship,” citing a “decline of democracy.” Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed Kabila’s allegations, asserting he had “nothing to offer the country.”
Kabila had been living outside the country, in South Africa, for the past two years. At the beginning of last month, he announced his intention to return to help find a solution to the ongoing conflict.
Analysis:
Joseph Kabila’s return to the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically to rebel-held Goma, marks a significant and potentially destabilising development in the country’s already fraught political and security landscape. This move immediately raises questions about his intentions and the implications for the fragile peace in the mineral-rich eastern region.
His decision to land in an area controlled by the M23 rebels, rather than government-held territory, strongly suggests a deliberate challenge to the authority of President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration. It could be interpreted as a defiant act after his immunity was lifted, and it certainly plays into the narrative that he might be aligned with the very rebel group he is accused of supporting. The M23’s public welcome further fuels these suspicions.
The conflict in eastern DR Congo, which saw the M23 resume hostilities in 2021 after a 2012 peace deal broke down, has intensified significantly this year, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians. Kabila’s return to this volatile region, coupled with his recent criticisms of the current government as a “dictatorship,” suggests a deepening political rift that could exacerbate the ongoing conflict.
His stated aim of returning to help find a solution to the conflict is viewed with deep scepticism by Kinshasa, which views him as a destabilising force. The timing of his return, after years of absence and immediately following the removal of his immunity, indicates a calculated political manoeuvre. This development will undoubtedly complicate efforts to bring stability to eastern DR Congo and could potentially usher in a new phase of political manoeuvring and increased insecurity.
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