Following the Conclave of Political and Social Forces on the Future of the Country held in Nairobi under the leadership of former Congolese president Joseph Kabila on October 14 To 15, 2025., a new opposition platform called “Sauvons la RDC” (Save the DRC) has officially been launched.
Condemnation of the Security Crisis
In their final declaration, the Congolese opposition leaders alongside Kabila, condemned the continued deterioration of security across the country.
“Political and social forces are deeply concerned by the gravity and continual deterioration of the security situation in eastern Congo,” the declaration stated.
The opponents reaffirmed their solidarity with the victims of the ongoing crises and violence in Eastern DRC, Kwango, Kwilu, Mai-Ndombe, as well as in urban areas such as Kinshasa and Haut-Katanga.
They directly blamed the current regime and President Félix Tshisekedi for the worsening situation.
“This crisis, marked by war and violence spreading throughout the country, is a result of the fraudulent 2023 elections, the shrinking of political space, and the erosion of hard-won democratic and institutional balances,” added the declaration.
Criticism of Constitutional Revisions
Alongside Joseph Kabila, opposition leaders denounced the government’s intention to revise the Constitution, arguing that such a move would further weaken national unity, already undermined by tribalism, antagonism, and a lack of dialogue culture.
Kinshasa Reacts
The Congolese government was quick to respond.
Speaking from Washington, where he was attending an economic forum, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed the Nairobi gathering as a meeting of “condemned fugitives.”
“This so-called meeting for peace is in fact motivated by nostalgia for lost privileges,”
Muyaya said, adding that the government sees it as politically irrelevant.
Who Supports Joseph Kabila?
The conclave brought together several key figures from the opposition who, according to organizers, found it necessary to form a coalition to address the country’s “multiform crisis.”
Among those present were:
- Matata Ponyo Mapon, former Prime Minister, accused of embezzlement and sentenced to ten years of hard labor before going into exile.
- Bienvenue Matumo, civil society activist and member of LUCHA (Lutte pour le Changement), previously arrested multiple times under Kabila’s rule.
- Franck Diongo, former MP and leader of the Mouvement Lumumbiste Progressiste (MLP), who was imprisoned during Kabila’s presidency and later went into exile in Belgium.
- Seth Kikuni, young entrepreneur and presidential candidate in 2018 and 2023.
- André Claudel Lubaya, former MP, who claims to have been forced into exile by the Tshisekedi regime.
Together, these political figures denounced the arbitrary detention of opposition leaders and what they called “unjust court decisions” issued by military tribunals.
Their statements directly questioned what they described as the “incompetence” of the current regime in addressing Congo’s multiple crises.
Objectives of the New Movement “Sauvons la RDC”
The new platform calls on all Congolese citizens to resist dictatorship and to oppose the alleged involvement of mercenaries in the country’s conflict.
Fourteen resolutions were adopted during the conclave, with the aim of:
- ending tyranny and restoring state authority,
- reestablishing democracy,
- promoting national reconciliation, and
- improving governance and social conditions.
According to participants, the deepening crisis is due to President Tshisekedi’s refusal to engage in sincere national dialogue. They pledged to pressure the government toward dialogue and to combat economic mismanagement and the deterioration of living standards.
“We are committed to implementing, with diligence and efficiency, all resolutions adopted in Nairobi,” the conclave’s statement concluded.
Government: “No Dialogue with Aggressors”
Former president Joseph Kabila has repeatedly called for an inclusive national dialogue, which recently took him to eastern Congo for consultations after a long period of silence.
However, the government maintains a firm stance.
“The direction is clear: there will never be any dialogue with the representatives of our current aggressors,” declared Patrick Muyaya.
Speaking in Brussels last Saturday, President Félix Tshisekedi reiterated his position, accusing the opposition of manipulating the concept of dialogue and urging them to first condemn Rwanda’s aggression in the DRC.
