The Democratic Republic of the Congo government will initiate legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabila for allegedly supporting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the country’s mineral-rich east.
Kabila crossed into the rebel-controlled city of Goma from neighboring Rwanda on Friday, infuriating the government of current President Felix Tshisekedi. On Saturday, Congo’s justice ministry announced it would take legal action against Kabila and the interior ministry suspended his political party.
The government condemned Kabila’s “deliberate choice to return to the country through the city of Goma under control of the enemy, which curiously assured his security,” Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said in a statement published on social media.
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M23 rebels took over Goma with Rwandan support in a bloody battle in January, and have since continued to expand their territory in eastern Congo, drawing international condemnation and sanctions.
Rwanda has denied backing the group. Tshisekedi has previously accused Kabila of backing the rebellion and “preparing an insurrection.”
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The justice ministry said it would seize Kabila’s assets in the country and has placed travel restrictions on unnamed Kabila associates.
A Kabila spokesperson did not immediately respond to messages sent outside of normal business hours.