Latest news with #FelixTshisekedi
Reuters
2 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Congo ex-president Kabila makes first public appearance in rebel-held Goma
GOMA, May 29 (Reuters) - Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila appeared for the first time in public in rebel-held territory in the country's volatile east on Thursday, meeting with religious leaders in what participants said was a push for peace. Kabila, who has been out of the country since 2023, mostly in South Africa, is wanted in Congo for alleged crimes against humanity for supporting the insurgency in the east, including a role in the massacre of civilians. Congo has also moved to suspend his political party and seize the assets of its leaders. The former president's camp denies any ties to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who have seized more territory than ever since January. He had been vowing to return to the Central African country for weeks to help find a solution to the conflict. His return could complicate Washington's plans for a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda. Massad Boulos, Trump's senior adviser for Africa, told Reuters earlier this month the deal could be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi's government in Kinshasa this week accused Kabila of "positioning himself as the rebel leader" along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Kabila received religious leaders on Thursday at his residence in Kinyogote, west of the city of Goma, said reporters, who were barred from filming the discussions. Dressed in a grey jacket and a blue shirt, the 53-year-old didn't speak to the press. "The former president... called us to express his wish to see peace return to the eastern part of the country and throughout the country," said Joel Amurani, president of the Interfaith Synergy for Peace and Mediation, a religious group, who attended the meeting. A close aide of Kabila's said the consultation sessions were aimed at learning about security challenges in the region and that political, administrative, military and civil society figures were invited to further discussions on Friday. It is unclear how long Kabila intends to stay in M23-held territory. The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing M23 and says its military has acted in self-defence against Congo's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Ex-DRC President Kabila holds talks in M23-held city of Goma: Reports
Former President Joseph Kabila has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just days after he lost his immunity amid accusations he has helped armed rebels fighting in the eastern DRC, according to the Reuters and AFP news agencies. Kabila, on Thursday, was visiting the eastern city of Goma, which had been seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia along with several other areas in the resource-rich east of the country earlier this year. A team of AFP journalists saw Kabila meet local religious figures in the presence of M23's spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, without giving a statement. Citing three unidentified sources close to Kabila, Reuters also said the ex-president held talks with locals in Goma. The visit comes despite the former president facing the possibility of a treason trial over his alleged support for M23. Earlier this month, the DRC Senate voted to lift Kabila's immunity, paving the way for him to be prosecuted. The ex-president, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2023, denies the allegations and has slammed the charges against him as 'arbitrary decisions with disconcerting levity'. On Thursday, a member of Kabila's entourage told AFP that though no formal alliance existed between his party and M23, both shared the 'same goal' of ending the rule of President Felix Tshisekedi. The United Nations and the DRC's government say Rwanda has supported the M23 with arms and troops – an accusation the neighbouring country denies. The renewed violence has raised fears of igniting a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured in the late 1990s, involving several African countries, which killed millions of people. The current fighting has already displaced about 700,000 people this year, according to the UN. On Tuesday, Amnesty International accused M23 of committing abuses against civilians in areas under its control, 'including torture, killings and enforced disappearances'. 'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' the group said in a statement. M23 says its goal is to protect ethnic minorities against the government in Kinshasa.
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
DRC faces rising military costs, tax shortfall in revised 'combat budget'
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with soaring military costs and declining tax revenues due to an offensive by Rwandan-backed rebels, who now occupy much of the country's eastern borderlands, a revised wartime budget under consideration by lawmakers showed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said this month that the fighting was straining public finances, citing the closure of revenue collection offices in areas controlled by the M23 rebels and elevated security spending linked to the conflict. Initially expected in mid-March, President Felix Tshisekedi's cabinet approved the budget bill on Friday. It now goes to parliament for debate and voting. It includes slightly decreased spending of $17.2bn (R307.84bn), according to the minutes of the cabinet meeting, and reflects a drop in tax revenue to 12.5% of GDP from 15.1% expected under the original budget approved in December. The finance ministry announced in March it was doubling salaries for soldiers and police in an apparent bid to boost morale. That move is expected to cost $500m (R8.95bn) this year, a military official and a government source told Reuters.
First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
DR Congo: M23 Welcomes Ex-President Kabila As Ends Exile, Returns To Goma
DR Congo: M23 Welcomes Ex-President Kabila As Ends Exile, Returns To Goma | Firstpost Africa DR Congo: M23 Welcomes Ex-President Kabila As Ends Exile, Returns To Goma | Firstpost Africa Dr Congo's Former President Joseph Kabila has returned to the country, ending his political exile. Kabila arrived in rebel-held Goma city in the east of the conflict-torn country. Experts say Kabila's return opens a new chapter in DR Congo's political and security crisis. An M23 spokesperson welcomed Kabila to Goma in a tweet and wished him a pleasant stay in what he called the "liberated areas". Dr Congo President Felix Tshisekedi accuses his predecessor of supporting the Rwanda-backed M23. Kabila's return comes days after the DR Congo Senate stripped him of his immunity over alleged support to the M23, which has been fighting the Congolese forces. Will Kabila's return wipe off diplomatic breakthroughs led by DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi? See More
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congo faces rising military costs, tax shortfall in revised 'combat budget'
By Sonia Rolley (Reuters) - Congo is grappling with soaring military costs and declining tax revenues due to an offensive by Rwandan-backed rebels, who now occupy much of the country's eastern borderlands, a revised wartime budget under consideration by lawmakers showed. The International Monetary Fund said this month that the fighting was straining public finances, citing the closure of revenue collection offices in areas controlled by the M23 rebels and elevated security spending linked to the conflict. Initially expected in mid-March, President Felix Tshisekedi's cabinet approved the budget bill on Friday. It now goes to parliament for debate and voting. It includes slightly decreased spending of $17.2 billion, according to the minutes of the cabinet meeting, and reflects a drop in tax revenue to 12.5% of GDP from 15.1% expected under the original budget approved in December. The finance ministry announced in March it was doubling salaries for soldiers and police in an apparent bid to boost morale. That move is expected to cost $500 million this year, a military official and a government source told Reuters. Exceptional security-related expenditures cost the government estimated $1 billion in the first four months of 2025, two government sources said. All of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to disclose the figures. A government spokesperson did not immediately respond on Tuesday to questions about the budget and military spending. The domestic budget deficit widened to 0.8% of GDP in 2024 and is projected to reach 1.2% this year, Rene Tapsoba, the IMF's resident representative for Congo told Reuters. The conflict and loss of control of territory in the east, which is home to lucrative gold, tin and coltan reserves, could account for a 4% shortfall in expected tax revenue, he said. While noting that exceptional security expenditure was "very high", Tapsoba said the government had sought to reduce its operating expenditures by cutting the budgets of ministries and the salaries of the heads of institutions. Despite ramped-up security spending, army officials still report persistent shortages of food, ammunition and basic equipment. Much of the funding appears to have gone to arms procurement, one Congolese general told Reuters. "The bulk of these funds are handled outside the formal budget framework," a senior official at the finance ministry said, asking not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media. "We don't have full visibility either." The war in the east has spotlighted entrenched problems in the military. According to a Senate report this month, the army counts 268,602 personnel, including 74,000 deployed in combat zones. More than 36,000, however, are classified as inactive - among them, 3,618 retired soldiers awaiting $145 million in unpaid benefits. The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing the rebels and says its military has acted in self-defence against Congo's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. (Additional reporting by Ange Adihe Kasongo in Kinshasa; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Joe Bavier)
