DRC: Kabila arrives in rebel-held Goma after return from exile

Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, accused by the government of supporting rebels in the country's east, returned to Congo from self-imposed exile on Friday, arriving in rebel-held Goma city, two of the ex-president's associates and a rebel official said.

Kabila, who left Congo in 2023, came to Goma “to participate in peace efforts” in the conflict-hit east where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized large swaths of territory, including the strategic eastern city, said a close aide of the former president.

Another associate of Kabila's and a senior M23 official also confirmed the former president's return. The three spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the topic.

Congo's decades-long conflict escalated in January, when the rebels advanced and seized Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February. The fighting has killed some 3,000 people and worsened what was already one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with around 7 million people displaced.

Kabila seeks “to take part in efforts to find peace in the country,” his aide said. “Everyone is talking about Congo without the Congolese … this is not normal.”

The former president is expected to address Goma residents at some point, according to his associate, who accompanied Kabila on the trip.

It was not immediately clear how long Kabila would remain in Goma or what his plans were.

Kabila's long-expected return is seen as controversial, with some analysts saying his presence in Goma could worsen tensions between the rebels and the Congolese government, especially amid ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.

Representatives of Congo's government and M23 met in Qatar earlier this month as the Gulf Arab state leads renewed efforts to get both parties to return to dialogue and recommit themselves to a peace deal they each accuse the other of violating.

Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank Dypol, said it was likely to have a “detonating effect on Congolese politics,” and strengthen the accusations by “those who believe that there is a connection between him and the M23 rebellion.”

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi last year accused Kabila of backing the rebels and “preparing an insurrection” with them, a claim Kabila denies.

Kabila led Congo from 2011 to 2019, taking office at the age of 29 and extending his mandate by delaying elections for two years after his term was ended in 2017. His father, former President Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001.

After leaving Congo, Kabila lived in South Africa and other African countries.