“Joseph Kabila has boycotted the election and is preparing an uprising because he leads the AFC,” Tshisekedi claimed, referring to the Alliance Fleuve Congo, a coalition formed in December to bring together armed groups, political parties, and civil society against the Congolese government.
Tshisekedi did not provide any supporting evidence for his statement.
His remarks follow the U.S. announcement of sanctions against the AFC last month, accusing the coalition of trying to overthrow the Congolese government and intensifying conflict in the eastern region. The U.S. also highlighted that the main member of the AFC, the M23 rebel group, is already under U.S. sanctions.
Accusations have been made by Tshisekedi, along with U.S. and U.N. experts, that neighboring Rwanda is providing military support to the M23 rebel group.
Rwanda denies these allegations but admitted in February to deploying troops and missile systems in eastern Congo for security reasons, citing the presence of Congolese forces near the border.
Following recent talks mediated by Angola, Congo and Rwanda agreed to a cease-fire that began on Sunday.
The eastern region of Congo continues to experience armed conflict, with more than 120 groups fighting for control over power, land, and mineral resources. Some armed factions have been blamed of mass killings.
In North Kivu province, the violence has led to not only arbitrary killings but also widespread sexual abuse.
According to a report released Tuesday by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), over 10% of women in displaced persons camps in the region reported being raped between November 2023 and April 2024.
Laura Garel, a communications advisor at MSF, stated, “In three camps where we operate, we treated over 1,700 survivors of sexual violence in April. In 70% of these cases, the perpetrators were armed individuals.”