DR Congo president accuses former leader of backing rebel movement

Democratic Republic of Congo president, Felix Tshisekedi, has accused his predecessor and estranged ally, Joseph Kabila, of “preparing an insurrection”.

In an interview on a private radio station on Tuesday, he said Kabila was backing the political-military movement known as the Alliance Fleuve Congo.

Tshisekedi did not provide any evidence to support his claim, which comes after the United States last month announced sanctions against the group.

Washington accuses the alliance of seeking to overthrow Congo’s government and fuelling conflict in the east of the country.

And noted that the alliance’s main member, the M23 militant group, was already under US sanctions.

Tshisekedi’s statement was the first time a Congolese official has accused Kabila of siding with the rebels.

Kabila, who ruled the DRC between 2001 and 2018,  has not responded to the accusation.

The eastern part of the country has struggled for decades with armed violence as more than 120 groups fight for power, land, and valuable mineral resources.