Former President of Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila  (Credit: Wikipedia)

By  Gary  Raynaldo     -DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned the political party of former President Joseph Kabila over alleged ties to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group. The move comes amid reports that Kabila has returned to DR Congo. Kabila, who has been residing in South Africa, reportedly arrived in the eastern city of Goma on Friday.  The M23 rebel group has seized large parts of eastern DRC including Goma this year. Conditions have deteriorated significantly since January as M23 expanded its control over territory in the mineral-rich eastern conflict zone. Some 5,000 people have been killed with millions displaced in the conflict. Kabila was president of Congo from 2001 to 2019. His father, former President Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001. Kabila’s return to the strategic city of Goma created chaos and or fear in the Kinshasha government of President Félix Tshisekedi, which quickly suspended Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD).

The government accuses of Kabila of treason for allegedly backing M23 rebels and also ordered the seizure of all of his assets. Kabila, for his part, maintains he has returned to the DRC to participate in efforts to bring peace to the country. Kabila had been in self-imposed exile since leaving DRC in 2023. There is a lot at stake as the strategically important city of Goma as the region reportedly contains trillions of dollars of mineral wealth. The US Trump administration and DRC reportedly engaged in talks this month over a minerals deal. China also has its eyes on DRC’s minerals and is active in the mining industry.