Congo-Kinshasa: Ex-DR Congo President Kabila to Lead New 'Politico-Military' Alliance With M23 Rebels

What the report says

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has formed a new political and military alliance with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement, according to RFI, as reported by AllAfrica. The group was announced on Monday at a press conference at Kabila’s residence in Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC and an area that has been under M23 control since January 2025.

The new organization, called the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), is being presented as a “politico-military” movement that will pool the support base of Kabila’s allies with rebel forces. RFI said Kabila will lead the alliance, while senior M23 figures are expected to serve as deputies. The stated aim, as described in the report, is to end what its backers call tyranny, including through force.

The development marks a sharp escalation in Kabila’s long conflict with President Félix Tshisekedi’s government. Kabila, who led the country from 2001 to 2019, had stayed largely out of public view after leaving office. He was convicted in absentia in 2025 on a charge of complicity with M23, allegations he denies. Congolese authorities have also accused him of helping drive the earlier Congo River Alliance, which had served as a political wing linked to M23.

The alliance forms against the backdrop of years of fighting in eastern Congo, where M23 has captured territory in North and South Kivu and peace efforts have repeatedly stalled. RFI said the move also comes as political attention builds around the 2028 end of Tshisekedi’s second term, with debate already emerging over possible constitutional changes.