Congo War Security Review, April 21, 2025

Data Cutoff: April 21, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST

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Key Takeaway: Former DRC President Joseph Kabila reportedly traveled to the M23-held North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, where he met with local leaders and senior M23 officials. The DRC government announced a series of restrictive measures against Kabila and his political party (PPRD) following Kabila’s reported visit to Goma. M23 retreated southward from the Kalehe and Kabare districts on the RN2 road in northern South Kivu toward the Kavumu airport. French state media reported that Qatari-mediated talks between the DRC and M23 have progressed in recent days. M23 rebels clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in a village on the outskirts of Bukavu, the South Kivu provincial capital.

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia

Nothing significant to report.

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

 M23 retreated southward from the Kalehe and Kabare districts on the RN2 road in northern South Kivu toward the Kavumu airport. Locals observed “massive movements” of M23 forces withdrawing from several villages on the RN2 —including Kasheke and Kabamba, which are about 14 and 12 miles north of Kavumu airport, respectively—toward Kavumu on April 20.[1] Pro-Congolese government Wazalendo militia fighters launched an offensive on M23 positions in the area since April 12 and recaptured several of the villages on the RN2 after M23 withdrew on April 20.[2] The Congolese media outlet Tazama RDC said on social media on April 20 that M23 may be reinforcing its positions in Kamanyola—the southernmost M23-controlled town on the RN5 road and about 54 miles south of Kavumu—where Wazalendo fighters have launched attacks on M23 since late March.[3] The redeployment is a seeming reversal of M23’s decision to send reinforcements to Kabare district from Bukavu, Kavumu, and North Kivu on April 13.[4]

M23 rebels clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in a village on the outskirts of Bukavu, the South Kivu provincial capital. Independent Congolese journalist Byobe Malenga reported that M23 clashed with Wazalendo fighters in Nyangezi—about 15 miles south of Bukavu on the RN5 road—using heavy and light weaponry on April 21.[5] M23 has clashed with Wazalendos in Nyangezi since mid-March, and Congolese journalists claimed on social media in early April that Wazalendo fighters had recaptured Nyangezi.[6] The Congolese news outlet Radio Okapi reported on April 18 that M23 has been “increasing their numbers day by day” in South Kivu province and that Bukavu and rural villages on the provincial capital’s outskirts—including Nyangezi—have been heavily militarized and seen “an impressive reinforcement of rebel troops” since last week.[7]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani

M23 repelled a Wazalendo attack on M23 in a village near the Masisi district capital. A journalist for the Congolese news outlet Tazama RDC reported on social media on April 20 that  Wazalendo fighters clashed with M23 in Kihuma, which is about 6 miles from Masisi town, but M23 retained control of the village.[8] M23 captured Masisi town in early January, and Wazalendo militia fighters have regularly clashed with M23 in Masisi district after pro-Congolese government forces began launching intermittent attacks near Masisi town in early March.[9]

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu

Nothing significant to report.

Major Political Developments

French state media reported that Qatari-mediated talks between the DRC and M23 have progressed in recent days. The state-owned news outlet Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on April 19 that both DRC and M23 delegations made concessions last week despite initial disagreements on the “nature of the conflict” and not negotiating face-to-face but solely through Qatari mediation.[10] The outlet reported that M23 has demanded that the talks focus exclusively on issues between the DRC and M23 as a Congolese armed group and that the conflict between the DRC and Rwanda “be treated separately.”[11] RFI reported that all parties are preparing a “joint document” and that the DRC proposed a stipulation in the text that “commits both sides to calling on other armed groups to join a framework for a cessation of hostilities.”[12] The outlet reported that the DRC and M23 are also negotiating over the implementation of “confidence-building measures” that would aim to “materialize commitments on the ground.”[13]

Former DRC President Joseph Kabila reportedly traveled to the M23-held North Kivu provincial capital of Goma where he met with local leaders and senior M23 officials. Kabila passed through Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on April 18 before arriving in Goma via the main border post between Goma and the Rwandan city of Gisenyi on April 19.[14] M23 officials and Kabila’s political allies did not officially confirm Kabila’s visit, and some members of Kabila’s political party —Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD)—denied that Kabila traveled to Goma.[15]

French and Congolese media reported that Kabila met with local political figures, including allied political operatives and M23 officials.[16] The Congolese news outlet 7sur7 quoted a source close to Kabila who said that Kabila’s visit signifies his participation in peace negotiations and that he does not intend to join M23 in armed rebellion.[17] A Congolese journalist on social media cited a senior M23 official on April 21 who said that Kabila had left Goma to visit Namibia but will return to the eastern DRC later this week.[18] Kabila will reportedly make a high-profile speech in the coming days, and sources close to Kabila have said that his visit to Goma is part of a “marathon in several parts of the country.”[19]

The DRC government announced a series of restrictive measures against Kabila and the PPRD following Kabila’s reported visit to Goma. The DRC Ministry of Justice accused Kabila of “high treason” for his “direct participation” in the M23 rebellion and ordered legal proceedings against Kabila to seize Kabila’s assets and restrict the movement of PPRD officials.[20] A DRC official told Jeune Afrique that the DRC government plans to expropriate Kabila-owned properties on the outskirts of Kinshasa and turn them into animal zoos for the Congolese public.[21] The DRC’s interior ministry suspended indefinitely the PPRD’s political activities across the DRC and accused Kabila and the PPRD of “complicit silence” over the Rwandan-backed M23 rebellion.[22] The DRC government did not provide evidence of Kabila’s cooperation with M23 or give specific details of its allegations against the former president.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali to discuss regional peace initiatives. Gnassingbé’s office said the visit focused on the “causes, consequences, and implications of various regional actors in the armed conflict” of the eastern DRC.[23] Angolan President João Lourenço nominated Gnassingbé to replace his role as mediator between the DRC and Rwanda on April 5 after Lourenço stepped down from the role in late March.[24] Gnassingbé previously met with Lourenço and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi in mid-April.[25]