DR Congo bans activities of 13 political parties, including Kabila-linked PPRD

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned the activities of 13 political parties, including the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which governed the country during Joseph Kabila’s presidency.

Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced the decision on Thursday. Provincial governors have been assigned responsibility for enforcing the measure.

The government has presented the ban as a national security step intended to prevent activities by the affected parties. However, the announcement did not set out detailed legal or factual grounds for the decision, nor did it state how long the restriction would remain in force.

Parties affected

Among the other parties named in connection with the measure are Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD), led by Matata Ponyo; Seth Kikuni’s PISTE-E; and Claudel Lubaya’s Union for African Democracy (UDA).

The decision followed the creation in Goma of the National Refoundation Front, described as a politico-military movement led by former president Joseph Kabila. The ban comes amid a security crisis in eastern DR Congo and wider political tensions.

The Interior Ministry’s announcement prohibits the activities of the parties but does not formally dissolve them. The information available also does not identify all 13 parties affected.

Competing reactions

The ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress welcomed the government’s decision. Jean-Baptiste Katsongo, the party’s federal president in Butembo, said the Interior Ministry had a duty to act in the interests of public safety.

“We welcome this decision because it is a matter of responsibility. The Interior Ministry is responsible for the security of Congolese citizens. In that capacity, it must take the necessary decisions to protect them,” Katsongo said.

Opposition figures, however, described the measure as a threat to political expression and warned that it could narrow the space available for dissent.

Bruno Mwitohero, the LGD’s federal president, said the party was opposed to constitutional changes and what he called growing tyranny in the country. “We are fighting against constitutional changes and the tyranny taking hold across the country. We cannot stand by and do nothing,” he said.

Questions over legality

Independent political analyst Guel Mamlaka questioned the wider effects of the ban, warning that members and supporters could feel targeted even when they had not been involved in actions attributed to their leaders.

“This decision risks creating frustration among Congolese members of these parties who are not necessarily involved in the actions attributed to their leaders,” Mamlaka said.

The measure has raised questions about its legal basis and its implications for democratic pluralism. The available information does not establish whether the ban is legally valid or clarify what consequences it may have for the parties’ members and supporters.

Several political figures have reportedly distanced themselves from the former ruling party following the announcement of the National Refoundation Front and the ban on PPRD activities.