The political party of former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has denounced the recent lifting of his parliamentary immunity as a politically motivated “witch hunt” aimed at diverting attention from President Felix Tshisekedi’s leadership failures.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to strip Kabila, 53, of his immunity as senator for life — a status he was granted upon leaving office in 2019.
This move paves the way for potential prosecution over allegations that he conspired with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group to unseat his successor.
President Tshisekedi has accused Kabila of plotting an “insurrection” with the M23, which has seized large swathes of the conflict-ridden eastern DRC since its resurgence in 2021, with reported support from Rwanda.
Kabila, who ruled the DRC from 2001 to 2019, left the country in 2023. Although his exact location remains undisclosed, he still exerts considerable influence on the nation’s political landscape. His party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), boycotted the 2023 elections.
With Tshisekedi’s coalition holding a dominant majority in both houses of parliament, the Senate decision came as no surprise. However, critics argue that the move reflects deep concerns about judicial independence in the country.
Ferdinand Kambere, the PPRD’s deputy secretary-general, told AFP the Senate decision was a “witch hunt” and a “masquerade” orchestrated to silence criticism of the government’s handling of the war in the east. “Tshisekedi’s regime wants to distract from its failures in governance,” Kambere added.
Violence has plagued the eastern DRC for more than three decades. Since the beginning of 2025, M23 has taken control of major eastern cities, including Goma and Bukavu, and is now entrenching itself in these territories.
The justice ministry referred Kabila’s case to military courts in April, shortly after the former leader declared plans to return to the east.
However, no verifiable evidence of his return has surfaced. In the meantime, authorities raided several of his properties and suspended the activities of the PPRD.
