DR Congo's former President Joseph Kabila, on Tuesday, April 8, said he would return to the country after six years of silence and exile. Kabila said in early March that he had suspended his studies in South Africa to deal with the worsening situation, in eastern DR Congo, where a government coalition has been fighting the AFC/M23 rebels for over three years. The rebels now control the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu. After six years of absolute silence, a year in exile, and given the deteriorating security situation throughout the country...I have resolved to return without delay to the DRC in order to contribute to the search for a solution, Kabila told Jeune Afrique on Tuesday. ALSO READ: Kabila urges South Africa not to support Tshisekedi’s ‘tyrannical regime’ The immediate former president has previously accused his successor Felix Tshisekedi of mismanaging the security crisis and of bringing the vast country close to imploding. Kabila said he had met with various presidents and former presidents in the region as well as Congolese politicians and that he would return to his country through the eastern part, which has been volatile for three decades. I decided to start with the eastern part, because there is danger there, he told the French publication. Kabila has recently voiced concern over the ongoing instability in DR Congo, emphasizing the importance of internal solutions to national problems. He has emphasised that the conflict with the rebels, whom Tshisekedi alleges to get support from Rwanda, can only be solved by dialogue within the Congolese people. He criticized Tshisekedi's tendency to blame foreign actors for the crisis and outsourcing security by hiring European mercenaries and using foreign armies. He urges Congolese leaders and citizens to take responsibility in resolving the crisis. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: Kabila calls for removal of foreign troops Kabila left office in 2019 and had remained silent until February this year. Tshisekedi has accused Kabila of being behind the rebel alliance—allegation the latter dismissed in March saying that the conflict would be different if he was behind the rebels. “We left office in accordance with the constitution and have since been involved in various initiatives, including academic pursuits, which we intend to continue. However, as the situation back home worsens, we must act to ensure [DR Congo] does not fall further into chaos. We are here to help and to do what must be done to prevent further deterioration,” he told Namibian media in March. The conflict in eastern DR Congo escalated in January after the AFC/M23 rebels took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, before seizing Bukavu the capital of South Kivu in mid-February. ALSO READ: Romanian state inquiry says active-duty soldiers worked as mercenaries in DR Congo The M23 rebels are part of the political organisation Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) that is led by Corneille Nangaa, DR Congo's former electoral chief. Since the beginning of 2025, the rebel alliance has gained more Congolese support, with a growing number of political leaders and businesspeople joining its cause. ALSO READ: Former presidential candidate Rex Kazadi joins AFC/M23 Government soldiers and police forces, as well as a number of armed groups have joined the ranks of the rebels, who fight for the protection of Congolese Tutsi communities who have suffered decades of ethnic violence. The AFC/M23 rebels also condemn widespread corruption and bad governance, which have rendered the mineral-rich country ungovernable.
