The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has suspended the political party of former President Joseph Kabila and ordered the seizure of his assets, accusing the 53-year-old of high treason over alleged ties to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group.

In a statement late on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) was suspended for its “ambiguous attitude” towards the M23’s occupation of DRC territory.

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The M23 rebellion has reignited violence in DRC’s mineral-rich eastern provinces, where conflict rooted in the spillover from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of minerals has persisted for decades.

The fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, according to the United Nations. The M23 has also taken two important cities, Goma and Bukavu, in the east since the start of the year.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi has accused Kabila of preparing “an insurrection” and backing an alliance that includes M23.

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In another statement, the DRC’s Justice Ministry said Kabila and other party leaders’ assets would be seized after acts amounting to high treason.

Both statements said prosecutors had been instructed to initiate proceedings against him, but no details of the accusations were given. It is understood that no formal charges have yet been filed.

There has been no direct comment from Kabila, who ruled the country from 2001 to 2019.

However, his spokesperson Barbara Nzimbi wrote on X that the former president would address the nation “in the coming hours or days”. PPRD secretary Ferdinand Kambere told the Reuters news agency the suspension amounted to “a flagrant violation” of the DRC’s constitution.

The move to suspend Kabila’s party follows reports that he has returned to the country after spending two years in South Africa. Kabila left the DRC before the last presidential election in 2023.

According to the Interior Ministry, he has travelled to Goma, but his presence there has not been confirmed independently.

Kabila, a former military officer, came to power at the age of 29 following the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, during the Second Congo War.

He won elections in 2006 and 2011 that were marred by allegations of fraud and human rights abuses. After two years of deadly protests and mounting international pressure, he handed power to Felix Tshisekedi in 2019 – a transition hailed as the country’s first peaceful handover of power since independence in 1960.

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Earlier this month, Kabila said his return was driven by a desire to help resolve the country’s political and security crisis. In an interview with Jeune Afrique, he said he hoped to “play a role in seeking a solution after six years of complete retreat and one year in exile”.

The suspension of Kabila’s party came as peace talks between the DRC government and M23 rebels, due to take place in April, were postponed.

The UN and several regional governments have accused Rwanda of supporting M23 – an allegation strongly denied by the country’s President Paul Kagame.