Former President Joseph Kabila has returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo just days after the Senate voted to lift his immunity, paving the way for potential prosecution over allegations of supporting armed rebels, according to Al Jazeera.
Kabila was seen on Thursday in the eastern city of Goma, a region seized earlier this year by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia. AFP journalists reported that Kabila met with local religious leaders, with M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka present at the meeting. Kabila did not make a public statement.
According to three unnamed sources cited by Reuters, the former president also held private talks with local residents during his visit.
Kabila, who has lived in self-imposed exile since 2023, faces possible treason charges over claims he supported the M23 rebel group. Earlier this month, the DRC Senate voted to strip him of his legal immunity, allowing judicial proceedings to move forward.
A member of Kabila’s entourage told AFP there was no formal alliance between the former president’s party and M23, but added that they “share the same goal” of ending the rule of current President Félix Tshisekedi.
Kabila has denied the allegations, calling them “arbitrary decisions made with disconcerting levity.”
The DRC government and the United Nations have accused neighboring Rwanda of arming and supporting M23, an allegation Rwanda denies. The resurgence of the rebel group has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, similar to the wars in the late 1990s that killed millions and involved multiple African nations.
So far this year, fighting in eastern DRC has displaced around 700,000 people, according to the United Nations.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International accused M23 of committing serious human rights abuses in territories under its control, including torture, killings, and enforced disappearances. The group said these actions may amount to war crimes.
