By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman
Joseph Kabila Kabange, the former president who led the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 18 years, will be back in the country in the next few days. The announcement was made a few days ago in South Africa, where he spent a year in exile. In a written statement, he justifies his decision with “the seriousness of the security and institutional situation” in the country, and his desire to contribute to the search for a solution to the crisis the country is currently experiencing.
In his opinion, the situation in the DRC is “out of control”. After an absence of six years and a year in exile, the time has come for him to “return without delay”.
“In view of the worsening security situation throughout the DRC, and the decay that is engulfing all sectors of national life”, he wrote.
Voices are being raised about this announcement
The announcement of his return to the fold has provoked a number of reactions from the Congolese population and politicians alike.
"What else is he going to do in the country? What will he achieve that he hasn't done for 18 years in power? It's pure distraction. He's looking to enrich himself even more," says Faustin Mukungu, a primary school teacher based in Kikwit, an economic-political city in the Kwilu province in south-western DRC.
According to him, Kabila had already served two terms as president in accordance with the constitution.
For her part, Hélène Mutolokati, a farmer, believes that Kabila is free to return to the country.
"He is free to return. Who can forget that he's a senator for life? No one can prevent him from returning to the country", she notes.
Augustin Kabuya, a member of the ruling Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UDPS), believes that the former head of state's decision is an admission of his paternity to the AFC/M23 rebellion waging a war of aggression in the east of the country.
He says he is not surprised by Joseph Kabila's announcement, which he claims is a pawn of Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, who supports the M23/AFC.
Joseph Kabila's Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD) (People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy) has dismissed these accusations as a red herring.
The deputy permanent secretary of this political party, Ferdinand Kambere, denounced attempts to undermine the moral authority of his party and other cadres.