• Authorities plan to ban pre-registered SIM card sales and launch a subscriber re-identification campaign.

• Measures respond to a surge in kidnappings and armed attacks in Kinshasa.

• Kinshasa alone accounts for 18.65 million mobile subscriptions, exceeding its population.

Congolese authorities plan to regulate access to telecommunications services to support the fight against crime. The government intends to ban the sale of pre-registered SIM cards and to require the re-identification of existing subscribers.

Officials discussed the issue during a Council of Ministers meeting on Friday, March 20. Authorities will hold an “imminent” interagency meeting involving the supervising ministry, the telecom regulator (ARPTC), and mobile operators to finalize the measures. However, authorities have not specified a date for the meeting.

Security response to surge in kidnappings

The announcement follows a rise in criminal activity in Kinshasa. Authorities report a concerning resurgence of kidnappings in the capital. Armed gangs have also carried out nighttime attacks on residential properties.

“Beyond the deep distress they inflict on directly affected families, these criminal acts fuel a climate of psychosis and fear within the population, weaken the sense of collective security, disrupt economic and social activities, and seriously undermine state authority and citizens’ trust in institutions responsible for their protection,” the government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said while reading the minutes of the March 13 Council of Ministers meeting.

President Félix Tshisekedi previously instructed government members to deliver appropriate responses during an earlier cabinet meeting. In this context, authorities held a high-level security meeting on March 14 at the Interior Ministry with civil, police, and military officials.

During that meeting, authorities decided to intensify arrests by the anti-crime and anti-drug unit targeting perpetrators of simulated kidnappings. Authorities also decided to continue the “Dobo” operation by organizing joint day and night patrols between the national police (PNC) and the armed forces (FARDC) to combat the “Kuluna” gang phenomenon. In addition, authorities plan to convene an interinstitutional meeting on armed robberies and home invasions involving individuals in uniform.

Telecom tools increasingly used in criminal activity

Authorities are taking these steps as telecommunications services become widely used across both legal and illegal activities. Several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Mauritania, and Botswana, have already flagged the role of telecom tools in facilitating crime.

Criminals often use SIM cards to contact victims’ families and demand ransom payments, sometimes collected via mobile money. Pre-registered SIM cards allow users to avoid identification because they are registered under another person’s name at the time of purchase.

In Cameroon, authorities reported in April 2024 that terrorists possessed 450 unidentified SIM cards and collected CFA320 million (about $563,661) via mobile money over 12 months. Investigators noted that criminals frequently discard SIM cards after each operation and replace them with new ones. Authorities have also linked mobile money to terrorism financing and money laundering in Mozambique.

Criminal use cases also include blackmail, threats, identity theft, robberies, extortion, misinformation, and large-scale financial scams. In addition, criminals can use SIM cards to create social media accounts or enable cybercrime activities.

Kinshasa recorded 18.65 million mobile subscriptions as of September 2025 for a population of 13.9 million, according to ARPTC data. Multiple SIM ownership explains this gap. The capital accounts for 25.36% of the country’s 73.55 million mobile subscriptions.

Kinshasa also leads the country in internet subscriptions with 9.37 million users and mobile money accounts with 7.4 million users.

Other African countries already act

Several African countries have already implemented subscriber re-identification campaigns in addition to initial SIM registration requirements. Authorities typically require new users to provide biometric data during registration.

Governments have deactivated non-compliant SIM cards after multiple deadline extensions in many cases. Nigeria blocked 73 million SIM cards in 2022, Ghana blocked 8 million in December 2022, and Senegal blocked 6 million in 2023.

Authorities say these campaigns help clean up national subscriber databases and improve sector oversight. In Burkina Faso, officials said the measures would ensure “better control over access to SIM cards and more reliable user data to effectively combat their use for illicit purposes.”

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

However, subscriber identification programs face operational challenges. Countries such as Ghana and Namibia have reported resistance from local authorities to approve registration centers, power outages in remote areas that disrupt automated systems, and limited public engagement.

Authorities also face inaccurate data submissions and a lack of identification documents or proof of residence among many users.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum