DRC: M23 rebels welcome ex-president Kabila to Goma amid tension with Kinshasa
The March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have annouced the arrival of former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila Kabange in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province.
In a statement released Sunday morning, Lawrence Kingston Kanyuka, M23 political spokesperson, confirmed Kabila’s arrival and wished him a pleasant stay in areas currently under the control of M23 fighters.
“Former DRC President Joseph Kabila has arrived in the city of Goma. We wish him a pleasant stay in the liberated areas,” Kanyuka stated.
M23’s military spokesperson, Lt Col Willy Ngoma, echoed the sentiment in a separate statement, describing Kabila as a “respected and respectable former head of state and senator for life.”
“The ARC/AFC announces with pleasure the arrival of the respected and respectable former head of state and senator for life, the soldier of the people JOSEPH KABILA KABANGE in the zone liberated by the M23/AFC. Long live the revolution,” Ngoma said.
Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, coordinator of both the M23 and the Congo River Alliance (AFC), also welcomed Kabila’s return, calling it a “right choice.”
“The Coordination of the Congo River Alliance AFC-M23 welcomes the arrival of the former President of the Republic and Senator for life, Mr. Joseph Kabila Kabange, in Goma, in his country, the DRC. The return home of this great political figure is welcomed. He made the right choice, rather than remaining in forced exile,” Nangaa said.
He further praised Goma as a place free of “arbitrariness, political persecution, tribalism, and discrimination, contrasting it with the current regime in Kinshasa.” Nangaa urged all Congolese political figures in exile to return to Goma, which he called the land of their ancestors.
The DRC government has strongly dismissed the significance of Kabila’s reported return. On Monday morning, government spokesperson and minister of Communication and Media Patrick Muyaya issued a scathing statement, asserting that Kabila “has nothing to offer the DRC, neither today nor in the future.”
He described Kabila as a destabilizing figure and called for a “citizens’ pact” to save the country. Tensions between Kabila and the current government escalated last Thursday, May 22, when the senate, sitting at the People’s Palace in Kinshasa, voted to lift Kabila’s legal immunity.
The vote authorized legal proceedings against him on charges of treason, support for a foreign power in efforts to overthrow constitutional institutions, and complicity in war crimes through alleged backing of an armed group accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The government’s legal campaign against Kabila began in April 2025 after he made a surprise appearance in Goma, escorted by M23 fighters. Justice minister Constant Mutamba ordered the seizure of Kabila’s assets and suspended all activities of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Development (PPRD), which Kabila leads.
Several senior PPRD officials were also arrested over suspected links to the M23. It remains unclear how Kabila’s presence in Goma will affect the ongoing peace talks between the DRC government and M23 in Doha, Qatar.
So far, the talks have not resulted in a ceasefire or substantive progress. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in eastern Congo. On Sunday morning, residents of Kahunga in Tongo groupement, Rutshuru territory, North Kivu Province, awoke in panic as M23 rebels reportedly fired heavy weapons from Kirima toward the villages of Kirumba and Kagando, targeting Wazalendo (patriot) positions.
M23 rebels currently control significant territory in North and South Kivu provinces, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu, as well as Goma international airport and Kavumu airport.
Since the resurgence of the M23 rebellion in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, the DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the group, a claim both Rwanda and the rebels deny. M23 insists their struggle is aimed at ending corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the DRC’s leadership.
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