Congo War Security Review, May 23, 2025

Data Cutoff: May 23, 2025, at 3:30 P.M. EST

*CTP will be publishing the Congo War Security Review every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, instead of Monday–Friday, starting on May 28 due to Memorial Day in the United States on May 26*

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Read CTP’s latest analysis on peace talks between the DRC, M23, and Rwanda and Uganda’s role in the DRC in the latest Africa File here. To receive the Africa File and Congo War Security Review via email, please subscribe here.

Key Takeaway: The DRC government formally revoked former DRC President Joseph Kabila’s immunity protections as a former senator. Kabila delivered his first public address since he stepped down from the Congolese presidency in 2019. The DRC claimed that M23 has absorbed more than 1,000 FARDC soldiers in recent weeks.

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia

Nothing significant to report.

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

Nothing significant to report.

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani

Nothing significant to report.

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu

Nothing significant to report.

Major Political Developments

The DRC government formally revoked former DRC President Joseph Kabila’s immunity protections as a former senator. The Congolese Senate voted overwhelmingly in a secret ballot to lift Kabila’s immunity as a former senator and formally authorize the Congolese military justice system to prosecute Kabila on charges of treason on May 22.[1] Members of DRC President Félix Tshisekedi’s coalition hold a large majority in the DRC parliament. The DRC government accused Kabila of maintaining “sustained contact” with Rwanda and Corneille Nangaa—head of Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), M23’s political branch—and directly supporting the M23 rebellion in the eastern DRC.[2] The Senate accused Kabila of plotting to assassinate Tshisekedi. The Senate reportedly relied on testimony from Éric Nkuba, a former AFC official and close friend of Nangaa, who claimed that he personally witnessed a telephone conversation between Kabila and Nangaa in May 2023 allegedly discussing plans to overthrow Tshisekedi.[3] Nkuba claimed that Rwanda wanted to assassinate Tshisekedi, but Kabila pushed back and advised that it would be better to oust Tshisekedi through a coup and not murder, which would have turned Tshisekedi into a “national hero.”[4] Kabila’s party spokesperson denounced the Senate’s action on May 23 as a “witch hunt” and “political persecution.”[5] The DRC government escalated efforts to target Kabila and his party associates after rumors circulated that Kabila traveled to M23-held Goma in late April.[6]

Kabila delivered his first public address since he stepped down from the Congolese presidency in 2019. Kabila said that he broke his silence to contribute to the solution of multiple crises in the DRC that threaten an internal implosion of the country.[7] Kabila addressed the power-sharing agreement with Tshisekedi that broke down in 2021 and criticized Tshisekedi and his ruling coalition for violating the Congolese constitution, instituting one-party rule, and seeking to divide the DRC on lines of group identity.[8] Kabila criticized Tshisekedi’s administration on its economic and social policies.[9] Kabila claimed that the security crisis in the eastern DRC is the direct effect of “poor governance” and the replacement of the Congolese army (FARDC) with “bands of mercenaries, armed groups, tribal militias, and foreign armed forces.”[10] Kabila said that the FARDC’s alliance with “hundreds of Congolese armed groups”—specifically including the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the Rwandan government—has “opened the way to the regionalization of the conflict.”[11] Kabila did not address Rwanda’s support for M23. Kabila expressed support for the various peace initiatives and called for a national dialogue proposed by a coalition of Congolese religious leaders.[12] Kabila criticized the DRC government for negotiating with M23 under Qatari mediation but “considering it a crime for other Congolese to talk to each other.”[13] Kabila denied that he visited Goma in late April and criticized the DRC government for launching legal proceedings against him based on a “simple rumor” that he traveled to the M23-held provincial capital.[14] Kabila said, however, that he will visit Goma “in the coming days.”[15] Kabila outlined a 12-point plan to resolve the multiple crises and “put an end to the dictatorship” of the current DRC government.[16]

The DRC claimed that M23 has absorbed more than 1,000 FARDC soldiers in recent weeks. The Congolese Senate commissioned a report on the security situation in the eastern DRC that outlined the weaknesses of the FARDC in the eastern DRC, the FARDC’s challenges with its partnership with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo militias, and the growing strength of M23’s fighting capabilities.[17] The French state media outlet Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on May 23 on the contents of the unreleased report, which claimed that M23 has forcibly recruited more than 1,000 FARDC troops in recent weeks.[18] RFI reported that at least 1,500 FARDC troops have been transported to M23’s main military training base in Rutshuru district, north of Goma, where they were “disarmed, reconditioned, and then integrated into the ranks” of M23’s armed wing.[19] RFI reported that some former FARDC soldiers are already deployed to fight on the side of M23.[20] RFI also reported that an estimated 300 soldiers from an elite unit of the FARDC were “forcibly transferred to Rwanda” on an unknown date.[21]