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yesterday

Kabila Returns to Rebel-Held Goma After Senate Revokes His Immunity

He faces prosecution for alleged support to the M23 rebels following the Senate’s decision to revoke his immunity.

Joseph Kabila was president of the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2001 and 2009
Former Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila, centre right, meets with religious leaders at his Kinyogote residence in M23 controlled Goma, Eastern Congo, Thursday, May 29, 2025.(AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Democratic Republic of Congo's former President Joseph Kabila poses for a photograph with the religious leaders after a meeting to help find a "solution" to the crisis in the country's eastern regions, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized significant territory, in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi

Overview

  • On May 29, former president Joseph Kabila made his first public appearance in Goma, meeting local and religious leaders under the guard of M23 fighters.
  • The DRC Senate voted on May 22 to strip Kabila of lifetime senatorial immunity, paving the way for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity charges.
  • Kinshasa has suspended Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy and seized the assets of its leaders following allegations of his role in the insurgency.
  • The Rwanda-backed M23 captured Goma and Bukavu in January, displacing roughly 700,000 people this year according to United Nations figures.
  • Kabila’s presence in rebel territory risks derailing US-sponsored peace negotiations between the DRC and Rwanda.