Three senior members of the party of DR Congo’s former President Joseph Kabila have been barred from leaving the country, after they were questioned by military prosecutor on Monday, March 10. A directive issued on Tuesday by the interior ministry, instructed border authorities to prevent the departure of Aubin Minaku, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari, and Ferdinand Kambere. ALSO READ: Kabila suspends his studies to ‘deal with worsening situation’ in eastern DR Congo Minaku is the vice president of Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) and former president of the National Assembly. Shadary is the party’s permanent secretary and a former interior minister and presidential candidate, who challenged current President Felix Tshisekedi in 2018. Kambere deputises Shadary. “The measure prohibiting exit from the national territory is decreed against these individuals,” reads the statement, which calls for “flawless execution” of the order. ALSO READ: Kabila urges South Africa not to support Tshisekedi’s ‘tyrannical regime’ The reason behind the summons remains undisclosed, but the move follows Tshisekedi’s accusations that Kabila was behind the AFC/M23 rebels, who captured two major cities in eastern DR Congo. Kabila, who ruled DR Congo for 18 years until 2019, recently said he had suspended his studies in South Africa to deal with the “worsening situation back home.” He accused Tshisekedi of mismanaging the conflict and bringing DR Congo “close to imploding.” Kabila also criticized his successor’s decision to invite foreign armies into the conflict, which began in late 2021. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: Kabila calls for removal of foreign troops Speaking to Congolese media on Monday, Kambere said their invitation by the military was linked to Kabila’s renewed political activity. “We understood that it is the return of the [former president] that bothers those in power,” Kambere was quoted as saying. Kabila has recently met with opposition leaders and civil society groups to discuss the country’s crisis. He has also criticized Tshisekedi’s handling of the conflict in eastern DR Congo, describing the situation as dire and calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Congolese soil. Kabila, in a recent interview with Namibia’s state broadcaster (NBC), described the presence of multiple foreign troops in DR Congo—including Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces, Burundians, and European mercenaries—as an indication that the country was heading toward a precarious situation. Despite the loss of key eastern Congo cities since the start of 2025, Tshisekedi has refused to negotiate with AFC/M23.
