Joseph Kabila, the former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has ended years of silence with the announcement of his imminent return to the country. In a statement released to Radio France Internationale (RFI), Kabila explained that the worsening situation in the DRC, particularly the escalating insecurity and instability, had prompted his decision to return and engage directly with the issues at hand.
While no specific date was provided, sources close to Kabila have suggested that he could arrive in the coming days via the eastern region of the country, which he has described as being in a critical state of danger. For the past year, Kabila has been residing in South Africa , where he had been working on a thesis about Congo’s relations with China. However, it appears that this academic project has now been put on hold in light of the current situation.
Kabila’s return also coincides with the political activities of his party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which has recently rejected President Félix Tshisekedi’s call for national unity talks.
