The security situation is tense across the DRC, particularly in Kinshasa. Authorities are seeking to neutralize all factors facilitating crime, including certain uses of telecommunications.

Congolese authorities intend to control access to telecommunications services as part of the fight against crime and insecurity, particularly in the capital, Kinshasa. Among other measures, plans include banning the sale of pre-registered SIM cards and requiring the re-identification of subscribers.

The issue was discussed at the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday, March 20. An inter-ministerial meeting is scheduled soon, with the participation of various stakeholders in the telecommunications sector, to decide on the measures. These include the supervising ministry, the regulator (ARPTC), and the telecom operators. However, the date of the meeting has not yet been specified.

A security response to the rise in kidnappings

The announcement of these measures comes amid a surge in crime in Kinshasa. Authorities cite a worrying increase in kidnappings in the capital. Adding to these incidents are nighttime attacks by armed bandits on some residences.

”  Beyond the profound distress they inflict on the families directly affected, these criminal acts fuel a climate of psychosis and fear within the population, weaken the feeling of collective security, disrupt economic and social activities and seriously undermine the authority of the State as well as the confidence of citizens in the institutions responsible for guaranteeing their protection  ,” we can hear in the report of the Council of Ministers of March 13, read by the government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya.

Concerned by the situation, President Félix Tshisekedi had instructed certain members of the government during the previous Council of Ministers meeting to provide appropriate responses. It was within this framework that a major security meeting was held on March 14 at the Ministry of the Interior, with the participation of heads of civil, police, and military services.

During this meeting, several decisions were made. These mainly concern the intensification of arrests by the anti-crime and drug group of the provincial police station of the National Police of the city-province of Kinshasa of those who stage kidnappings; the continuation of operation “Dobo” with the organization of joint PNC-FARDC patrols, both day and night, in order to eradicate the “Kuluna” phenomenon; the imminent convening of an inter-institutional meeting on the problem of robberies and home visits caused by men in uniform.

When telecommunications facilitate criminal activities

These acts, condemned by Congolese authorities, occur within a context of the widespread adoption and use of telecommunications services in human activities, including criminal activities. Their role in crime has already been highlighted in several African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Mauritania, and Botswana.

For example, SIM cards can be used to call the parents of kidnapping victims to demand ransoms, which can even be collected via mobile money. Pre-registered SIM cards prevent the legitimate users from being identified, since they are already registered in someone else’s name at the time of purchase.

In Cameroon, authorities revealed in April 2024 that 450 unidentified SIM cards were in the hands of terrorists, who had received 320 million CFA francs (approximately US$563,661) over twelve months via mobile money. They emphasized that the investigations were complicated because, after each transaction, the criminals removed the SIM cards and replaced them with others. The use of mobile money for financing terrorism and money laundering has also been raised in Mozambique.

Other criminal uses include blackmail and threats, increased risks to public safety, identity theft, robbery, extortion, the dissemination of false information, and large-scale financial scams. The cards can also be used to open social media accounts or as a gateway for cybercrime.

As a reminder, Kinshasa alone had 18.65 million mobile phone subscriptions at the end of September 2025, for a population of 13.9 million, according to ARPTC data. This figure is explained by the fact that many people use multiple SIM cards. This represents 25.36% of the 73.55 million subscriptions recorded in the country. The capital-province also led the other 25 provinces in the number of internet subscriptions (9.37 million) and mobile money subscriptions (7.4 million).

This is what other African countries are already doing.

Faced with this situation, several African countries have opted for re-identification of existing subscribers, in addition to the identification carried out at the time of purchase. New subscribers must therefore comply with the new rules during registration, generally using biometric data.

Most campaigns resulted in the deactivation of non-compliant SIM cards, often even after several extensions of the initial deadline. In Nigeria, 73 million SIM cards were blocked in 2022; 8 million in Ghana in December 2022; 6 million in Senegal in 2023…

According to African authorities, these campaigns aim to clean up national mobile subscriber registries in order to better regulate the sector. In Burkina Faso, authorities believed that the measures taken would allow for ”  better regulation of access to SIM cards and improved reliability of user data for electronic communications services, with a view to effectively combating their use for illicit purposes  .”

“  It is important that we do this because without the security of our devices, we are all in danger. There are fraudsters and criminals who use the anonymity of the internet and social media to scam others, and we must ensure that no one can hide behind this anonymity  ,” said Ursula Owusu-Ekulful, Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, in December 2022.

It is worth noting, however, that the subscriber identification process presents certain challenges, as highlighted by countries such as Ghana and Namibia. These include the reluctance of local authorities to authorize the establishment of registration points, power outages in remote areas disrupting automated registration, lack of interest or resistance from some customers, the provision of inaccurate information, and the absence of identity documents or proof of residence among many subscribers.

Source: Agence Ecofin