Joseph Kabila Calls for the Removal of Tshisekedi’s Regime

Goma, North Kivu March 23, 2026 - Former President Joseph Kabila Kabange, who led the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 2001 to 2019, has publicly called for the removal of President Félix Tshisekedi’s government, denouncing it as acting illegally. The statement came during an interview on March 20 with journalist Hubert Leclercq of Le Libre, conducted at Kabila’s residence in Goma, North Kivu province. Kabila, who has been in eastern DRC since May 2025, has been accused by the authorities of collaborating with the AFC/M23 coalition, which controls Goma, and of undermining national security. He was sentenced to death in absentia by the Kinshasa government. “When asked why I am in Goma, I said it is home. I received you in a house I bought in 1999. The relentless attacks on me and my political family began in 2019, before the birth of AFC/M23. I believe I have the right to work and communicate with all Congolese, with the aim of uniting the population and achieving peace,” Kabila told Le Libre. He condemned the recent drone strike launched by DRC government forces on March 11, 2026, targeting Goma, which he said aimed to eliminate him and senior AFC/M23 leaders, including Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki, and Maj. Gen. Sultani Makenga. Kabila further accused government forces of continuing to kill civilians in eastern regions such as Masisi and the Minembwe commune in South Kivu, often employing drones. Kabila sharply criticized Tshisekedi’s government, asserting it has repeatedly disregarded the law and is now attempting to amend the Constitution to extend presidential terms. “I said it in May last year, we must stop this dictatorship that has been established. To achieve this, we must unite our forces, mobilize all Congolese, whether in exile or inside the country,” he said. He cited Article 64 of the DRC Constitution, which he interprets as giving every Congolese the responsibility to punish individuals or groups who violate the law, as the legal basis for the planned removal of Tshisekedi’s regime. Kabila’s statements are likely to further heighten tensions in an already volatile eastern DRC, where political divisions and ongoing armed conflicts continue to destabilize civilian populations.