The Congo River Alliance (AFC) and M23 rebel groups claim Joseph Kabila is in Goma, beyond the reach of Congolese government forces. Kabila, who served as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) head of state from 2001 to 2019, was once a strong ally of incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi.

But Kabila recently made headlines after publicly criticizing a decision by Tshisekedi's government to remove his immunity from prosecution, despite being declared a "senator for life" when he stood down in 2019. Tshisekedi's administration has also ramped up verbal attacks on the former president, with Augustin Kabuya, secretary-general of Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), declaring "Kabila is not Congolese" but rather a "Rwandan subject."

Some political observers have said Kabila's reemergence in a rebel-held area could jeopardize existing mediation efforts spearheaded by religious leaders.

However, Elodie Ntamuzinda, a conflict resolution expert, told DW that sidelining Kabila is counterproductive. "We encourage the authorities to be able to approach him and that he, too, be open to talks. We believe that the general interest comes first, and we need each other," Ntamuzinda said.

Tresor Kibangula, political director at the Kinshasa-based Ebuteli research institute, described Kabila as a shadow power the government is........

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