KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Justice has re-announced a $4 million reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive businessman Claude Pero Luwara, accused of financing the M23 rebellion through property deals.
In a communiqué issued Friday, Justice Minister and Keeper of the Seals said investigators had identified two houses belonging to Luwara, both subject to immediate seizure.
One is located in the Maman Mobutu quarter of Mont-Ngafula, while another, recently purchased, is in Binza, Bandalungwa commune. Authorities said the properties were tied to transactions that allegedly helped fund rebel operations.
The ministry warned that judicial proceedings will also target individuals and intermediaries involved in the deals, underscoring that collaborators risk prosecution alongside Luwara.
“Any person or group who contribute to his arrest and place him at the disposal of authorities will receive the reward of four million U.S. dollars,” the statement said.
Luwara has been on the run as Kinshasa intensifies efforts to dismantle rebel financing networks.
The M23 insurgency, which re-emerged in 2021 after nearly a decade, has seized large parts of North Kivu province, displacing hundreds of thousands and straining relations with neighboring Rwanda, accused by Kinshasa of backing the group — a charge Kigali denies.
The government has in recent months expanded sanctions, property seizures, and asset freezes against alleged rebel financiers, arguing that choking off funding is as vital as military operations.
The $4 million bounty is one of the largest ever offered in Congo for a domestic case, highlighting the importance authorities place on disrupting what they call “the financial arteries of terrorism.”
Despite military campaigns and regional mediation, the M23 remains entrenched, and analysts say arrests of financiers like Luwara could weaken the group but are unlikely to deliver an immediate end to the conflict.
