Three associates close to Congo’s former president, Joseph Kabila, on Wednesday, said the former leader arrived in the rebel-held eastern city of Goma for talks with locals.
This is coming a month after declaring he wanted to help end the crisis in the war-ravaged region.
If confirmed, the visit could complicate a U.S.-backed bid to end a rebellion by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group in eastern Congo, which contains valuable minerals that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is keen to help mine.
Kabila, who has denied accusations by Kinshasa that he supports the M23 insurgency, agreed to step down following protests and external pressure in 2018 after almost two decades in power. He has been out of the country since late 2023, mostly in South Africa.
The three people said the former president will begin holding consultations on Wednesday with citizens in Goma, which fell under the control of M23 in January during an advance that has seen the group seize more ground than ever before.
The people close to Kabila said he had arrived in Goma on Sunday night.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the rebel alliance that includes M23, has also said on social media that Kabila is in Goma, though Kabila himself has not spoken and no images of him in Goma have been published.
The reported visit follows a vote in the Senate in Kinshasa last week overwhelmingly in favour of lifting his immunity from prosecution over his alleged links to M23.
Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a briefing aired on state television Tuesday that Kabila was “positioning himself as the rebel leader” along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Kabila 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 its political party and seize the assets of its leaders.
