Congo-Kinshasa: Conflicting Reports On the Assassination of Former President Kabila in Uvira

Kinshasa — Rumors have been circulating in recent days about the alleged assassination of former Congolese President Joseph Kabila. According to information sent to Fides, former Congolese President Joseph Kabila was killed on January 25 in an explosion at the building where he was meeting with representatives of the M23 guerrilla group in Kalundu, one of the three municipalities of Uvira in the Congolese province of South Kivu in the east of the country.

The explosion, which is being attributed either to a bomb planted in the building or to a heavy drone strike by the Congolese army, is said to have killed around forty people in addition to Kabila, including several high-ranking M23 commanders.

No official source has yet confirmed the killing of the former Congolese president, while social media channels close to him deny his death, claiming Kabila is "alive and well." Fides sources in Uvira report that the local population remains convinced Kabila was killed, noting that the Red Cross did not arrive on the scene and the victims' remains were recovered by members of the M23 militia. Furthermore, the former president's wife is reportedly demanding the release of her deceased husband's remains. According to information obtained by Fides, there are several versions of the explosion that allegedly killed Kabila.

The first refers to the accidental explosion of a device that was apparently manipulated by the same people who were subsequently killed. The second is the bombing by a drone operated by the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), who received a tip about the building to be targeted from Corneille Nangaa, the chairman of the political wing of the M23 party, the Congo River Alliance (AFL). According to this account, disagreements arose between Nangaa and Kabila, who had become so closely aligned with the M23/AFL that he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason by the Congolese judiciary.

Nangaa, who was supposed to attend the meeting, did not appear. The third version also supports the theory of an internal dispute, claiming that the explosion was caused by a time bomb or remote-controlled bomb placed inside the building. The contest of the alleged attack (prudence remains a must) sees the M23 rebels withdrawing from the city of Uvira, which they had captured on December 10 (see Fides, December 15 and 17, 2025).

According to local sources, the M23's withdrawal is directly related to the blow inflicted with the deaths of over 40 commanders and leaders of the guerrilla group, as well as the former President.

Read the original article on Agenzia Fides.