Secretary Blinken meets with DRC President Tshisekedi to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has accused the country’s former president, Joseph Kabila, of acting as a proxy for Rwandan President Paul Kagame amid ongoing conflict in the country’s mineral-rich east. Tshisekedi said Kagame ordered Kabila out of the shadows to lead the offensive, calling it a sign of a side on the ropes. Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, is set to head the new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, with M23 leaders serving as his deputies. Congolese authorities previously sentenced Kabila to death in absentia for alleged complicity with the rebellion, accusations he has denied. After spending years abroad, he returned to the eastern city of Goma in May 2025 and has since visited rebel-controlled territory.