The Congolese government has banned the media from reporting on the activities of former President Joseph Kabila and interviewing members of his party.
This comes after Kabila returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo last month amid heightened tensions between himself and the government, led by his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi.
The authorities are pushing to prosecute Mr Kabila amid accusations of treason and alleged links to the M23 rebels which have been fighting the army – something he has previously denied.
Breaches of the ban could result in suspension, said the head of DR Congo’s media regulator, Christian Bosembe.
Responding to the announcement by the regulator, known as the the Supreme Council of Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC), an M23 spokesperson said the media outlets in parts of the country under its control would not abide by the ban.
There has been no immediate response from Kabila, however, the secretary of his party, Ferdinand Kambere, rejected the ban, describing it as “arbitrary” on X.
Kabila was last week seen in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, which is under M23 control.
He has been highly critical of the government after the senate voted to lift his immunity over his alleged support of the M23 group.
DR Congo’s neighbour, Rwanda has been accused of backing the rebel group, but Kigali denies this.
Kabila, who has not yet been charged with any crime, launched a scathing attack on the Congolese government last month, describing it as a “dictatorship”.
A government spokesperson at the time rejected Kabila’s criticism, saying he had “nothing to offer”.
Reacting to the announcement by the CSAC, activist and president of the African Association for the Defence of Human Rights, Jean-Claude Katende, said the ban constituted an “abuse of power”, according to local media.
Meanwhile, political analyst Ambroise Mamba indicated on X that the ban could be self-defeating because it could pique people’s interest to find out about Kabila’s movements and activities.
Since returning to DR Congo after two years of self-imposed exile, Kabila’s party has been posting his activities online, which include visiting civil society groups and local religious representatives in Goma.
Additional reporting from BBC Monitoring.
