Joseph Kabila was waiting for me. But I didn’t know exactly where.
I crossed the border from Rwanda into the Democratic Republic of Congo and scrambled into a jeep driven by one of his aides. We whizzed through Goma, a city that was seized in a bloody takeoverby a Rwanda-backed militia in 2025.
“I hope you do not expect me to give you the address,” read a message I received from one of Mr. Kabila’s advisers. “But rest assured, it will be a maximum-security venue.”
Mr. Kabila, 54, was president of Congo for 18 years. Now, the country wants him dead, after a spectacular falling-out with his successor, Félix Tshisekedi. He was convicted of treason and sentenced to death in absentia last year, accused of covertly leading M23, the militia now occupying Goma.
The week before our interview, a drone attack killed a French aid worker just yards away from one of his properties on Lake Kivu. The rebels said Congolese forces were responsible for the attack. The government denied that accusation.
