By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned the party of former President Joseph Kabila, accusing him of links to M23, a rebel group that seized large parts of the eastern region of the country this year.
A statement from the interior ministry said all activities of Kabila’s PPRD party had been banned due to its “ambiguous attitude” towards the occupation of Congolese territory by M23.
The ban comes amid reports that Kabila has returned to the country after spending two years in South Africa.
He is said to have returned to the town of Goma, which was seized by the Rwandan-backed rebel group in January.
Kabila led the DRC for 18 years, after succeeding his father Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001. Joseph Kabila was just 29 at the time.
The interior ministry also noted that Kabila had chosen to return to Goma, where he was being protected by the “enemy”.
On Friday, the government accused Kabila, 53, of high treason, ordering the seizure of all his property.
Kabila has previously denied having links to M23. He has not commented on the latest moves by the Congolese government, nor confirmed whether he has returned to the DRC.
Earlier in the month, however, he stated that he would be going back to his country. But PPRD officials have denied that Kabila is currently in Goma.
On Saturday, his spokesperson Barbara Nzimbi posted on X that Kabila would be addressing the nation in the coming hours or days.
After being sworn in as president following his father’s death, he twice won elections. His second and final elected term officially ended in December 2016, but he refused to step down, citing the impossibility of organising elections— a situation that led to deadly protests.
He remained in power for a further two years until elections were finally held in 2018.
In January 2019, he handed power to Félix Tshisekedi, the official winner of a disputed election, which many election observers believed was rightfully won by Martin Fayulu.
Fayulu accused Kabila and Tshisekedi of striking a deal to exclude him from power, though both men denied the allegation.
Relations between Kabila and Tshisekedi later soured, and their parties’ coalition was formally dissolved in December 2020.
Kabila left the DRC in 2023, officially to study in South Africa.
