Kinshasa, DR Congo – The government of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has banned the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) of former President Joseph Kabila accusing it of colluding with the M23 rebel group which has violently seized parts of eastern Congo in recent months.
The announcement was made through an official statement from the Interior Ministry which cited the party’s “ambiguous attitude” toward the rebel occupation of Congolese territory.
The statement further alleged that Kabila, 53, has returned from his two-year stay in South Africa and is currently in Goma a strategic city now under the control of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels a presence the government deems “hostile”.
The ban adds fuel to an already roaring political firestorm just days after authorities charged Kabila with high treason and ordered the seizure of all his property.
Once hailed as a young, accidental president following the assassination of his father Laurent-Désiré Kabila in 2001, Joseph Kabila ruled DR Congo for nearly two decades.
He was only 29 when he assumed power a soft-spoken, enigmatic figure who steered Africa’s second-largest country through turbulent elections, prolonged conflicts and deep-rooted corruption scandals.
Although he officially handed over power to Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, opposition argue that Kabila continued to pull political strings behind the scenes until their uneasy coalition shattered in 2020. Since then, his presence in Congolese politics has remained dormant until now.
After leaving DR Congo in 2023 under the guise of pursuing academic studies, Kabila quietly earned a doctorate in geopolitics at the University of Johannesburg focusing on Africa’s relations with global powers like the U.S., China, and Russia.
But what began as a scholarly retreat has transformed into a highly controversial return to frontline politics.
In an earlier statement to Jeune Afrique, Kabila claimed his return was driven by a “duty to help resolve the country’s worsening institutional and security crisis.”
However, the timing coinciding with M23’s aggressive territorial expansion and instability in Goma has raised deep suspicions.
The Congolese government isn’t mincing words. Not only has it effectively criminalized the PPRD but it is also casting Kabila as a traitor, a stunning fall from grace for a man who once embodied national authority.
Interior officials assert that his presence in Goma, a city “under enemy occupation” is no coincidence and suggest he is being shielded by M23 fighters known for their alleged Rwandan backing and war crimes.
Adding to the intrigue, the M23 spokesperson gave an ambiguous response when asked about it.
“I don’t see any problem with him being here.”
While Kabila himself has not publicly confirmed his location, his spokesperson Barbara Nzimbi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be addressing the nation “in the coming hours or days.”
The PPRD has not issued any official comment regarding the accusations or the nationwide ban. However, senior party figures deny Kabila is in Goma raising further questions about transparency, truth and strategy.
Meanwhile, the leader of the political coalition associated with the M23 Corneille Nangaa was once a close Kabila ally and headed the electoral commission during his presidency.
Also Read: Pope Francis Passes Away at 88
