Kabila confirmed the decision to Jeune Afrique on April 8, 2025, stating. “After six years of complete retreat, one year in exile, and in light of the escalating security crisis, I have decided to return to the DRC without delay, in order to play a role in seeking a solution,” he said

He specified that he would return via the country’s eastern region because “there are dangers at home.” However, he did not clarify whether he would pass through Katanga or areas currently controlled by the AFC/M23 coalition.

Kabila explained that his decision to return came after consultations with several heads of state, former presidents, political actors in the country, and international organizations. This announcement comes after a period marked by signs of Kabila reemerging into the political scene and regaining media attention.

In December 2024, he met with opposition leaders Moïse Katumbi and Claudel Lubaya in Addis Ababa. In February 2025, he broke a six-year silence by publishing an article in the Sunday Times, focusing specifically on the security and governance crises plaguing his country.

Kabila has frequently voiced criticism of his successor, Félix Tshisekedi, accusing him of being the root cause of the country’s current troubles. He had not returned to the DRC since December 2023, when he discreetly left the country, avoiding the general elections.

He resurfaced in January 2024 in South Africa, where he had enrolled in a postgraduate program at the University of Johannesburg. Since then, he has also been seen in neighboring countries like Namibia and Zimbabwe.

In March 2025, Kabila announced he had been forced to suspend his studies due to the worsening security situation in eastern DRC.

“I had to put my studies on hold two or three months ago in order to make time for what’s happening back home,” he told a Namibian media outlet.

Meanwhile, the DRC’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, recently stated that the Congolese government does not require Joseph Kabila’s involvement in resolving the security crisis in the eastern part of the country.

Kabila did not clarify whether he would pass through Katanga or areas currently controlled by the AFC/M23 coalition.