About 150 soldiers are reported to have surrounded and attempted to break into the residence of Azarias Ruberwa Manywa, the former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to journalist Justin Kabumba, who reported the incident on X, nine of Ruberwa’s bodyguards were immediately arrested and taken to an undisclosed location.
Witnesses claim that the soldiers belonged to the elite Republican Guard, the unit tasked with protecting the Congolese head of state. The troops allegedly broke doors and windows as they tried to force their way inside.
Ruberwa, however, was not at the residence at the time. He currently lives in the United States with his family.
It remains unclear what the soldiers were looking for in his home, though later reports suggested that the arrested bodyguards were eventually released.
Born in Fizi, South Kivu Province, in 1964, Ruberwa is a veteran political figure in Congo.
He rose to prominence as the Secretary-General of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) before becoming one of four Vice Presidents in the transitional government from 2003 to 2006.
He served alongside Jean-Pierre Bemba, Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi, and Arthur Z’ahidi Ngoma.
Ruberwa is widely regarded as a shrewd negotiator and one of Congo’s most influential politicians of the post-war era. The position of Vice President was later abolished under constitutional reforms.
Authorities in Kinshasa have not yet commented on the incident or provided clarity on why Ruberwa’s residence was targeted.