Congo: Military Prosecutor summons Kabila’s allies amid conflict

Officials from the party of the former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila have been summoned by a military prosecutor, signaling rising political tensions as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels gain ground in the east.

The exact reason for the summons remains unclear, said Jean Mbuyu, a lawyer for the officials and Kabila’s former security advisor. However, President Félix Tshisekedi has recently accused Kabila of supporting M23, which has seized eastern Congo’s two largest cities since January.

Kabila has also been engaging with opposition figures and civil society groups to discuss the country’s political future, amid criticism of Tshisekedi’s handling of the M23 crisis.

According to Mbuyu, the military prosecutor’s office sent around 10 invitation letters to members of Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), though only three were expected to appear in Kinshasa on Monday.
Among them are Aubin Minaku, PPRD vice president and former National Assembly speaker, and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister and presidential candidate.

“We are going to listen because the invitation contains no reason,” Mbuyu said.

Minaku stated that the officials would comply “to avoid any suspicion” and denied any ties to M23 or other armed groups.

“We are taking a purely Republican approach, not one of rebellion,” he told Reuters, emphasizing loyalty to the state. “We clearly denounce any illicit presence of foreign forces.”

The latest M23 offensive marks the most serious escalation of a long-running conflict tied to the fallout of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the battle over Congo’s vast mineral wealth. Rwanda denies arming M23, claiming its forces are acting in self-defense against hostile Congolese forces and militias.

Reuters/Patience Ameh