The former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila has arrived in the rebel-held city of Goma in the east of the country for talks with locals, according to sources close to him, after declaring he wanted to help end the crisis in the war-ravaged region.
Kabila has been holding meetings with his staff in Goma for three days, according to his associates and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement rebel coalition (AFC-M23), and plans to begin what he calls consultations.
While government spokesman Patrick Muyaya has accused Kabila of wanting to wage war, the former president's supporters insist he is not in Goma to lead the AFC-M23.
Kabila's immunity as former president has recently been lifted, and the Senate has authorised his prosecution for treason and participation in an insurrection, among other charges.
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Talks in North Kivu
Kikaya Bin Karubi, a former ambassador and former minister, and a close collaborator of Kabila's, told Patient Ligodi of RFI's Africa service that Kabila "is ready to work with anyone who passionately loves [Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC]".
"So, if the AFC-M23 proves that it passionately loves [DRC], as President Kabila wishes, why not speak to them? The AFC-M23 wants to put an end to the dictatorship and this is one of the objectives, one of the first conditions for the situation to return to normal in the DRC," he added.
Three people also told new agency Reuters that Kabila would begin holding consultations on Wednesday with citizens in Goma.
The city fell under the control of M23 in January, in an advance that saw the group seize more ground than ever before.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the rebel alliance that includes M23, has also confirmed on social media that Kabila is in Goma. People close to Kabila said he had arrived in the city on Sunday night.
Kabila himself has not spoken or posted on his whereabouts, and no images of him have been published from Goma.
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Kabila denies M23 support
The DRC's government had refrained from commenting on rumours of Kabila's presence in Goma, but on Tuesday the minister of communication and media, and government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, said in a briefing aired on state television on Tuesday that Kabila was "positioning himself as the rebel leader", along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
"We must tell our compatriots who are in Goma or who are in other parts of the country under occupation the message: get ready, we are going to war," Muyaya told RFI.
The former governor of North Kivu and minister of foreign trade, Julien Paluku, also told RFI that Kabila "should not have ended up in Goma" and accused him of having been "subjected to Rwandan pressure" during the 18 years he was in power.
Kabila has denied the accusations coming from Kinshasa that he supports the M23 insurgency.
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Kabila came to power in 2001 after his father's assassination, then clung to office following DRC's disputed 2018 election for almost two years through an awkward power-sharing deal with President Felix Tshisekedi.
In January 2019, he agreed to step down following protests and external pressure and has been out of the country since late 2023, mostly in South Africa.
"The reasons that pushed the M23 to take up arms in 2012 are not the same as those that push it to take up arms today," Bin Karubi told RFI. "Today, the M23 is allied with Mr. Tshisekedi's government."
The visit could complicate the United States-backed bid to end the rebellion by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group in eastern DRC, where valuable minerals are being eyed by US President Donald Trump's administration.
The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing M23 and says its military has acted in self-defence against DRC's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
(with Reuters)
