00:00Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila made his first public appearance in Goma on Thursday
00:05since arriving in the city last month amid escalating tensions and ongoing violence in
00:11Eastern DRC. Kabila, who ruled the country from 2001 to 2019, met with local religious leaders
00:19in a rebel-held city. Religious leaders have called on Kabila to step into a mediating role.
00:25As religious leaders, we told him to play the role of arbiter so that peace would return
00:33because for 18 years he viewed so much that we cannot ignore. He did everything to reunify
00:38this country. And this same state still exists for him to get involved so that peace can return.
00:45What we as religious leaders are asking for is the return of peace and nothing but peace.
00:54President Felix Chisiqui and his government have repeatedly alleged that Kabila is supporting
00:59the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who have taken control of key cities in the East. Kabila has
01:05denied any links to the group. Kabila's reappearance has drawn mixed reactions among Goma residents.
01:12Some welcomed his presence while others expressed skepticism. I don't think Kabila can end the war because
01:19he was president for this country a long time ago but it didn't succeed. I didn't think that today when the situation
01:26is getting worse, he's coming to end it. His arrival in Goma is good because he's as Congolese as any one of us.
01:33He's here to help us Congolese achieve peace. For us to achieve peace, we must go through him because
01:39he has a very good grasp of the problems the Congolese face having been president for 18 years.
01:46Kabila's return to the spotlight comes as the Congolese Senate recently voted to lift his immunity, paving the way
01:52for potential prosecution on charges of treason and war crimes, accusations he has dismissed as politically motivated.
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