Kabila visits M23 stronghold

Former President Joseph Kabila has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just days after he lost his immunity amid accusations he has helped armed rebels fighting in the eastern DRC, according to Reuters and AFP. Al Jazeera reports that Kabila, last Thursday, visited the eastern city of Goma, which had been seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia along with several other areas in the resource-rich east of the country earlier this year. A team of AFP journalists saw Kabila meet local religious figures in the presence of M23’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, without giving a statement. Citing three unidentified sources close to Kabila, Reuters also said the ex-President held talks with locals in Goma. The visit comes despite the former President facing the possibility of a treason trial over his alleged support for M23. Earlier this month, the DRC Senate voted to lift Kabila’s immunity, paving the way for him to be prosecuted. The ex-President, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2023, denies the allegations and has slammed the charges against him as 'arbitrary decisions with disconcerting levity'.

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M23 rebels in the eastern DRC have committed serious abuses against civilians, ‘including torture, killings and enforced disappearances’, in areas under their control, according to Amnesty International. ‘These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement. Al Jazeera reports that the allegations come amid a renewed surge in violence that erupted in January, when the Rwandan-backed M23 group captured the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province. The rebels went on to seize Bukavu in South Kivu in February, escalating a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands. Between February and April, Amnesty researchers spoke to 18 people who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu. Many said they were held on accusations of supporting the Congolese army or government – claims for which no proof was presented. Several were not told why they were being held. According to Amnesty, detainees were crammed into overcrowded, unhygienic cells, lacking adequate food, water, sanitation and medical care. Some of those interviewed said they saw fellow prisoners die due to these conditions or from acts of torture.

Relatives searching for the missing were often turned away by M23 fighters, who denied the detainees were being held – actions Amnesty says amount to enforced disappearances. ‘M23’s public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees. They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them and intimidate others, so no one dares to challenge them,’ said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa. ‘Regional and international actors must pressure Rwanda to cease its support for M23,’ added Chagutah. The United Nations and DRC’s government say Rwanda has supported M23 by providing arms and sending troops – an accusation Kigali denies, according to Al Jazeera. The UN estimates that about 4 000 Rwandan soldiers support M23. M23 is among roughly 100 armed groups fighting for control in eastern DRC, a region rich in minerals and bordering Rwanda. The ongoing conflict has driven more than seven m i l l i o n people from their homes, including 100 000 who fled this year alone. Despite recent pledges by the Congolese army and the rebels to seek a truce, clashes have continued. In April, Rwanda and DRC agreed to draft a peace deal by 2 May, committing to respect each other’s sovereignty and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.

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