His Excellency Julien Paluku Kahongya at a press briefing
“The person I knew and served during those years of struggle, who endured Rwandan pressure for 18 years as Head of State, should not have returned to Goma under the current circumstances”— H.E. Julien Paluku, Congo DRC Foreign Trade Minister
KINSHASA, KINSHASA, CONGO-KINSHASA, May 28, 2025 /
EINPresswire.com/ -- During the press briefing held this Tuesday, May 27, at the national television alongside with the Minister of Communication, the Minister of External Trade, His Excellency Julien Paluku Kahongya, responded to a question from the media regarding the noticeable presence of former President of the Republic, Joseph Kabila Kabange, in Goma, and the allegations of his support to the terrorist movement M23/AFC.
Former Governor of North Kivu for twelve years, Minister Paluku expressed deep concern at the apparent contradiction between Mr. Kabila’s past fight against Rwanda-backed rebellions and his current posture.
“Is it really the same man who once fought the M23, now seemingly walking alongside them?” the Minister asked.
In a tone both lucid and solemn, Julien Paluku posed twelve major questions to the former Head of State, in reaction to the latter’s speech broadcast on YouTube on May 23. These questions, rooted in well-established historical facts, aim to remind Mr. Kabila of his former commitment to defending national sovereignty against foreign aggression.
Among the questions raised:
1) Is it the son of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who was assassinated by a Rwandan-backed mafia, now entering Goma under the supervision of the same actors?
2) Is it the one who defeated Laurent Nkunda, orchestrated the Umoja Wetu and Pomme Orange operations, dismantled the M23 in 2013, and removed its officers from the national army, who now seeks their protection?
3) Is it the same man who was hailed as a democrat for handing over power in 2019, now standing beside those he once called the torturers of the Congolese people?
The Minister recalled the heavy toll paid by the populations of Eastern Congo, with thousands killed in Goma and Bukavu, and heroic officers like Colonel Mamadou Ndala and General Lucien Bauma who fell in that war of aggression.
“The person I knew and served during those years of struggle, who endured Rwandan pressure for 18 years as Head of State, should not have returned to Goma under the current circumstances,” concluded Minister Paluku.
This statement is a call for memory, coherence, and historical responsibility. It is addressed not only to Mr. Kabila but also to all political and security actors in the Republic, at a time when national unity and clarity of position are more crucial than ever.
Issued in Kinshasa, on May 27, 2025,
His Excellency Julien Paluku Kahongya
Ministry of External Trade – DRC
Prof. Dr. Ngoie Joel Nshisso
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LE MINISTRE JULIEN PALUKU POSE 12 QUESTIONS À JOSEPH KABILA