Former DRC president Joseph Kabila is back in the country after two years. Returning to the city of Goma, accusations were made he had links to the M23 rebels. Leading the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019, his influence is still felt. The Second Congolese Civil War caused massive devastation to the region and DRC. The end of Kabila's immunity indicates a political motivation. Joseph Kabila might be calculating a return to the presidency. President Felix Tshisekedi has expressed the desire for the Constitutional Commission to change the term limits. If presidential term limits were to be extended that means Kabila could run again. This explains why the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy is facing suppression. New charges were placed on Joseph Kabila accusing him of war crimes and treason. At this time, there is not enough evidence for trial. The restrictions on the PPRD Party are in the public's view an example of anti-democratic action. Joseph Kabila has claimed he wants to have a settlement with the M23 rebels. It was announced that Rwanda and the DRC would procure a peace agreement. Fears are mounting that it will not hold. If any peace settlement is to be successful it will require the active participation Uganda. Both Uganda and Rwanda have been involved in the DRC's internal affairs going back to 1998. Joseph Kabila has the experience dealing with President Paul Kagame and President Yoweri Museveni. The assassination of his father and the former president Laurent-Desire Kabila, made Joseph understand the dangers the DRC was in from its neighbors. The ban on the PPRD Party and the end of Joseph Kabila's immunity will only increase his popularity. Political persecution turns public figures into icons of resistance. While Kabila still has enemies made in the 2000s, he could be developing a wider political movement.
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