Former DRC President Joseph Kabila has previously denied having any links to the M23 rebels/ScreengrabAt the height of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) conflict with the M23 rebels this year, former President Joseph Kabila made a return to the country after years of being away.
He has been in South Africa over the last two years.
After he stepped down from the presidency, Kabila was given the title ‘Senator for Life, ’ one that gives him immunity over prosecution.
With the conflict escalating further this year, he said that he would be going back home to help find a solution to the conflict between M23 and the Congolese government.
The DRC and neighbouring Rwanda, a country that has long been accused of backing M23, are working to find a solution despite denying their involvement.
It would later on be reported that he had arrived and was in the region captured and controlled by the M23 rebels.
His party, People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), however, denied this.
While Kabila has been out of power for over six years, he remains influential within the political circles of the DRC.
The relations between Kabila and President Felix Tshisekedi started going south with the two leaders, who were working together, parting ways in 2020.
While it is still not clear whether Kabila is in the DRC or not, the Tshisekedi administration has accused him of and his party of dalliance with the M23.
As a result, the Congolese government announced that it had banned the PPRD.
An interior ministry statement said all activities of Kabila's PPRD party had been banned because of its ambiguous attitude to the occupation of Congolese territory by the M23.
It also noted that Kabila had chosen to return to Goma, where he was being protected by the enemy.
Justice Minister Mutamba, who last month ordered the seizure of Kabila's assets, said the former president should return to the country and "face justice... and present his defence".
The government also placed travel restrictions on Kabila’s family, signalling a deepening rift between Kabila and Tshisekedi.
It accuses Kabila of undermining Tshisekedi’s leadership.
Kabila has previously accused the DRC administration of failing to tackle the issues affecting the country with tact.
He lamented that Tshisekedi has only relied on external mediation rather than engaging in direct dialogue with the rebels.
He further said that under Tshisekedi, the DRC is close to imploding as a result of the civil war”.
The former president also accused Tshisekedi of attempting to hang onto power, referring to his plans to push for a constitutional review.
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba told reporters on Wednesday that the state has amassed evidence implicating Kabila in war crimes, crimes against humanity and massacres of peaceful civilians and military personnel.
The military has also written to the Senate seeking to have Kabila’s immunity revoked so that he can be charged for these alleged crimes.
The M23 armed group is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of the eastern DRC’s mineral-rich region.
Instability and violence have killed at least 7,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since the start of this year.
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