Congo Ex-President Kabila Enters Rebel Zone for First Public Appearance

Editorial: reda El ghazal

Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila entered rebel-held Goma territory yesterday, Thursday, marking his first public appearance since returning to the volatile eastern region where M23 fighters control the city. This controversial visit followed the Congolese Senate stripping his legal immunity last week, clearing the path for prosecuting him over alleged war crimes and treason linked to supporting insurgents. Kinshasa authorities immediately branded the visit as Kabila positioning himself alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a rebel leader, even as the ex-president’s aides insist he came solely to advance peace efforts after years abroad, mostly in South Africa.

Meanwhile, his presence complicates delicate American diplomacy striving to broker a summer peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda, accompanied by major Western-backed mineral investment deals. Inside a guarded Kingogote residence west of Goma, Kabila dressed in a gray jacket and blue shirt consulted religious figures including Joel Amurani of the Interfaith Synergy for Peace and Mediation, who confirmed Kabila expressed deep desire for nationwide peace restoration. Notably, M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka attended the closed-door meeting where journalists were barred from recording discussions, fueling government allegations of collaboration.

Consequently, Kabila plans wider consultations Friday with political, military, and community figures to address security crises while his exact duration in M23 territory remains unconfirmed. Significantly, President Félix Tshisekedi’s ruling party had warned Kabila to stop meddling in national affairs, even questioning his Congolese citizenship, and dismissed his peace mission as illegitimate following accusations of orchestrating massacres and backing Rwanda-armed rebels.