Reactions mixed after DRC senate lifts immunity of former President Kabila: Video
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Senate has voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of former President Joseph Kabila, clearing the way for potential legal proceedings over alleged support for the M23 rebel group.
The move has triggered a wave of reactions from citizens and political figures.
The Senate voted 88 to 5 in favour of removing Kabila’s protection from prosecution, following accusations by President Felix Tshisekedi that Kabila colluded with the Rwandan-backed M23 militia, which has seized large areas of eastern DRC in recent months. Kabila, who has been abroad since 2023, did not attend the vote, and his current whereabouts remain unknown, the AFP reports.
On the streets of Kinshasa, some residents expressed support for the Senate's decision. “If he is involved, he must be subject to the strictness of the law,” said Charles Salulwa, urging authorities to act only on the basis of solid evidence. Another resident, Celestin Mani, added, “If Kabila is really among those who kill people there, then he can go to hell. That’s it.”
However, members of Kabila’s political party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), dismissed the move as politically motivated. “There is a will in Felix’s regime to hide the failure of governance,” said Ferdinand Kambere, the party’s deputy general secretary. “They want to blame Kabila to deflect from their own problems with the M23.”
