Congo: DRC rescinds tax directive on M23 zones after backlash

Zawya

06-03-2025

The Congolese government has backtracked on a move to tax goods coming from areas controlled by the M23 rebel group, following an overnight public outcry.
The Congolese General Directorate of Customs and Excise (DGDA) of North Kivu said on Wednesday that it had reversed the decision, which would have considered all goods coming from Goma, Bunagana and Ishasha, areas occupied by the M23 rebels, as new imports subject to tax.
In a press release, Jean-Louis Bauna, deputy director-general of the customs, described the letter from his department in northwest Kivu as a 'forgery.'He argued that 'customs legislation applies in full throughout the national territory.'However, the backtracking came after intense commentary on social media about the move, which had been communicated to neighbouring countries Uganda and Tanzania. Some critics argued that the country risked being split in two if the directive was implemented.
The Congolese authorities under Kinshasa, who administer North Kivu Province, have been based in Beni since the provincial capital of Goma was taken over by the M23, backed by the Rwandan army.
Paul Kayembe, director of the North Kivu DGDA, denied that the decision to tax the M23 zone had even been considered. Instead, he blamed it on 'the work of ill-intentioned people trying to discredit him' and pointed the finger at 'Rwandan' manipulation.
However, this publication has learnt that the government, in an attempt to salvage lost revenues from border posts in the M23 zone, had tried to re-tax goods. It backtracked after the controversy it caused.
The North Kivu DGDA said it 'reaffirms its determination to work in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in the DRC, and supports the government's efforts to recover territories occupied by the enemy.'A number of people including prominent Congolese figures, had protested against the decision to impose a customs duty within the country's territory, creating a virtual border.
Sources within the DGDA confirmed to The EastAfrican that the new tax memo was indeed genuine. A DGDA technician, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that 'customs posts in rebel-occupied areas have already been suspended from the computerised customs system, which enables automated management of customs procedures.'Since the M23 took Goma, the Congolese government has been taking economic measures to corner the parallel administration set up by the rebels, severely disrupting the economy of the region.
In Goma, for example, the banking system has ground to a halt. The provincial branch of the central bank and all the banks have remained closed, plunging this part of the country into a severe liquidity crisis, with banking operations being coordinated from Kinshasa. Many Goma residents are forced to cross the border into Rwanda for routine banking transactions.
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