DR Congo prohibits Kabila’s supporters from traveling abroad

Three prominent members of former President Joseph Kabila’s party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been prohibited from leaving the country following interrogation by a military prosecutor on Monday, March 10.

In a directive released Tuesday, the interior ministry directed border officials to stop Aubin Minaku, Ferdinand Kambere, and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari from leaving.

Former National Assembly President Minaku is now vice president of Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD). Shadary, the party’s permanent secretary, was a presidential candidate in 2018 and a former interior minister before running against Felix Tshisekedi. Shadary is substituted by Kambere.

It states that “the measure prohibiting exit from the national territory is decreed against these individuals” and demands that the order be carried out “flawlessly.”

Although the cause for the summons is unknown, Tshisekedi’s claims that Kabila was responsible for the AFC/M23 rebels’ seizure of two significant cities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo prompted the action.

Kabila, who led the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 18 years until 2019, recently said that he has halted his studies in South Africa in order to address the “worsening situation back home.”

He claimed that Tshisekedi had mishandled the war and brought the Democratic Republic of the Congo “very close to imploding.” Additionally, Kabila chastised his successor for bringing foreign soldiers into the battle, which started in late 2021.

According to Kambere, who spoke to Congolese media on Monday, the military’s offer was related to Kabila’s resurgence in political activities.

“We recognized that the return of the [former president] is what irritates those in authority,” Kambere was cited as saying.

Kabila recently held meetings to talk about the nation’s predicament with civil society organizations and opposition leaders.

He has also called for the evacuation of all foreign forces from Congolese territory and denounced Tshisekedi’s management of the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, calling the situation “dreadful.”

The presence of several foreign troops in DR Congo, including Burundians, European mercenaries, and forces from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was characterized by Kabila in a recent interview with Namibia’s state broadcaster (NBC) as a sign that the country was approaching a precarious situation.

Even after losing important cities in eastern Congo since the beginning of 2025, Tshisekedi has refused to engage in talks with AFC/M23.