DR Congo: Crisis Not Solely Because of M23-Former President Joseph Kabila
February 25, 2025
By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman
There were the sham elections of December 2023, organized in violation of the legal framework and international standards, says former President Joseph Kabila. Photo courtesy
Faced with the security crisis and war raging in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has killed several thousand Congolese for some time now, Joseph Kabila Kabange, the former president who led the country for 18 years, has come out of his silence.
The life senator believes that stability in this region depends on resolving the issue of national and foreign armed groups present on Congolese soil.
Kabila expressed his views on Sunday February 23, 2025 in an article published in the South African newspaper “Sunday Times”.
“Contrary to what the Kinshasa authorities would have us believe, the crisis is not limited to the uncontrolled actions of the M23 - wrongly portrayed as an anarchist group, a proxy for a foreign state with no legitimate claims - or to a simple disagreement between the DRC and Rwanda”, he declared.
M23 fighters, supported by Rwandan troops, have taken control of several towns and cities in eastern DRC. The most recent example is Bukavu, a major city in the province of South Kivu. Before that, it was the town of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, which, according to humanitarian aid workers, resulted in 3,000 deaths after violent fighting.
The capture of Bukavu was greeted with cheers from some of the population. The African Union (AU) called for the “immediate withdrawal” of the armed group.
Joseph Kabila seized the opportunity to denounce what he called the “sham elections of December 2023”.
“There were the sham elections of December 2023, organized in violation of the legal framework and international standards. These elections amplified the illegitimacy of the ruling power, artificially reduced the weight of the opposition and made the head of state the absolute master of the country. Tshisekedi has also publicly announced his intention to amend the Constitution”, he insisted.
He added: “This is a huge step backwards for democracy. The current regime has muzzled all forms of political opposition. Intimidation, arbitrary arrests, summary and extrajudicial executions, as well as the forced exile of politicians, journalists and opinion leaders, including religious leaders, have become hallmarks of Tshisekedi's governance”.
