Latest news with #M23-occupied
eNCA
24-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Ex-leader Kabila slams DR Congo 'dictatorship' after losing immunity
KINSHASA - Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila said he would soon visit a city occupied by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, branding the current government a "dictatorship" after he lost his immunity. In a rare speech streamed live on the internet, the Democratic Republic of Congo's leader between 2001 and 2019 took aim at current President Felix Tshisekedi, who in turn has accused Kabila of conspiring with the M23. A day after the Senate voted to lift his parliamentary immunity, opening the 53-year-old to prosecution for his supposed support of the armed group, Kabila hit out at "arbitrary decisions" by Kinshasa over reports he had visited the M23-occupied city of Goma. "Following a simple rumour from the street or social networks, about my alleged presence in Goma, where I will be going in the next few days... the regime in place in Kinshasa took arbitrary decisions with disconcerting levity, which testifies to the spectacular retreat of democracy in our country," Kabila said. "The dictatorship must end, and democracy and good economic and social governance must be restored," Kabila added. Although he left the country in 2023, with his entourage tight-lipped on his exact whereabouts, the former president still enjoys some influence over Congolese political life. Tshisekedi has accused Kabila of plotting an "insurrection" with the M23 and has regularly named him as the architect of its lightning advance in the east, where the armed group has seized swathes of territory with Rwanda's help. - 'Witch hunt' - In his speech Kabila set out a 12-point plan to end the more than three-decade-long conflict in the DRC's east, which has intensified since the M23's resurgence in 2021. Since the beginning of 2025 the anti-government armed group has seized the key eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu, and set up to govern for the long term in the areas under its control. Kabila in April caused surprise across the DRC by announcing his grand return to the country by the conflict-riven east. No concrete evidence of his return ever emerged. Yet in the wake of the announcement, the Congolese authorities raided several of his properties and suspended his People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD). The justice ministry referred the case against the former president to the military courts, which in turn urged the Senate to lift his parliamentary immunity as an honorary senator for life. In a secret ballot late on Thursday the upper house -- dominated by Tshisekedi's ruling coalition -- overwhelmingly voted to strip him in a process questioned by constitutional experts. Kabila's party on Friday denounced the move to sideline Kabila as a "witch hunt". "Although he no longer has any institutional leverage, he is still a shadow power which the government is clearly trying to keep at bay," said Tresor Kibangula, political director at the Ebuteli research institute. Kinbangula however, cautioned that even given the current crisis "there is no strong popular nostalgia for Kabila in the country today". - 'Against the tide of history' - While he has given interviews since leaving office, Kabila had not addressed the Congolese people directly since his speech in 2019 on the eve of his handover to Tshisekedi. In his Friday address, Kabila argued he left the DRC in a far better state than when he took power in 2001 on the assassination of his father in the middle of the Second Congo War. "Barely six years after, this great inheritance... has been completely dilapidated," Kabila charged, accusing Tshisekedi of the desire to "concentrate power in the hands of one man". The justice system meanwhile, had become "an instrument of oppression for a dictatorship desperately trying to survive against the tide of history", he argued. Following the vote on his immunity, Kabila faces the prospect of prosecution on war crimes, crimes against humanity and treason charges. In large part, the case against him hinges on testimony by opposition figure Eric Nkuba, who when questioned claimed to have overheard Kabila advise the M23's leader to remove Tshisekedi by coup rather than by assassination.
Zawya
11-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
US firm Alphamin resumes tin mining in M23 zone after Boulos visit
American mining firm Alphamin has resumed operations in M23-occupied Walikale in eastern Congo, following the visit of Donald Trump's envoy to the Great Lakes region. In a press briefing in Kigali, Rwanda, on Tuesday evening, Trump's senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, announced that his visit to the region was partly to help push the resumption of mining in Alphamin-controlled tin mines, which the miner abandoned in early March as the rebels advanced."We've seen in the last three weeks Alphamin has had to shut down operations, which affected the global market for tin specifically. It is very sad to see such a large operation employing thousands and thousands of people, helping the community and the country it operates in, including neighbouring countries, shut down operations,' Boulos said after meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi."We've seen the progress made in recent days, and that's excellent. We hope that the company will resume or make some announcement soon with regards to resuming their operations. We definitely encourage them to resume,' he said. On Wednesday, Alphamin Resources Corp announced a phased resumption of operations at the Bisie tin mine in Walikale District.'This decision was made after the withdrawal of insurgents eastward from the town of Walikale towards the towns of Nyabiondo and Masisi, more than 130km to the east of the Company's mine site. The company intends to redeploy employees as part of a plan to restart tin production in phases while it continues to monitor the security situation. The mine is adequately supplied with consumables and spares to support the resumption of production,' it said in a statement.'Following the orderly evacuation of the mine during mid-March 2025, the care and maintenance activities and tin concentrate export logistics continued without interruption. During the period 1 January 2025 to 8 April 2025, 4,500 tonnes of contained tin sold and exported, with 280 tonnes still in transit and limited concentrate stock currently on hand. Contained tin production of 4,270 tonnes was achieved during Q1 2025 until operations ceased on 13 March 2025 due to security concerns.'On ongoing dialogue efforts between the Congolese government and M23, he said: "We appreciate the dialogue that is ongoing, these are purely internal issues we hope they continue with the dialogue and continue in the right direction as we have seen recently. These are details that are being sorted by the parties in question and we encourage that. Our role is to encourage, to help in any way we can to support these talks and dialogue, we appreciate all the steps taken in this direction and we hope to see some positive results soon.'Boulos did not divulge details of the US's involvement in the talks mediated by Qatar. Previously, Washington has used back channels to influence meetings on the conflict in Qatar, between Rwanda and the DRC. The US is applying pressure on M23 and Rwanda Defence Forces to pull back from Northern Kivu, and Congolese army, FARDC, to stop using drones to bomb M23 positions, Boulos said."We are not involved in these details -- these are internal matters that they are engaged in dialogue about, it's not a question of pressure or no pressure it's a question of peace."We would like to see peace achieved, there are some good signs of hope in this regard, we would to see a lasting peace and stability in the region and within DRC and we encourage all steps in this direction.' © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( Patrick Ilunga
