Former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila has returned to the country after a two-year absence, arriving on Monday in Goma, a strategic eastern city now under the control of the M23 rebel group. The 53-year-old, who ruled the DRC from 2001 to 2019, landed in North Kivu days after the Senate lifted his legal immunity to allow investigations into alleged support for M23, which the government claims is backed by Rwanda. Kabila has denied any links to the rebels, accusing President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration of using the judiciary for political persecution.
His arrival was confirmed by M23 spokespeople and leaders from his People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), whose activities were recently suspended in Kinshasa for their alleged sympathies toward the rebel advance. M23’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka welcomed Kabila, praising his presence in what they termed “liberated areas.” Youth leaders from the PPRD also hailed his return, calling it symbolic for supporters in the east.
Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed Kabila’s claims of democratic backsliding, stating he has “nothing to offer the country.” Authorities accuse Kabila of treason and war crimes, citing what they claim is credible evidence of his connection to M23’s renewed insurgency. The M23 rebellion, which re-emerged in 2021 after an earlier 2013 peace deal collapsed, has captured vast areas in North Kivu, displacing over 700,000 people in recent months and tightening its grip on the mineral-rich region.
Kabila, who had been residing in South Africa, previously stated he was returning to “help find a solution” to the escalating conflict. His presence in Goma—rather than government-held Kinshasa—has sparked intense political debate and deepened the already fragile national unity.
