Overview

• Joseph Kabila has spent three days in the rebel-held city of Goma meeting with M23 leaders and local residents in what he calls consultations to address the eastern conflict
• The DRC Senate lifted Kabila’s presidential immunity, clearing the way for treason and insurrection charges that President Tshisekedi’s government plans to pursue
• M23 controls extensive territory across North Kivu and views Kabila’s presence as a key boost to its claim of political legitimacy
• Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya accused Kabila of positioning himself as the rebels’ leader, while Kabila continues to deny any support for the insurgency
• Kabila’s engagement in Goma complicates US-backed peace efforts and fuels concerns about the rise of a parallel power center in the east