Congo-Kinshasa: Joseph Kabila At the Helm of the New Political-Military Movement, FRN

What the report says

Former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila is reported by Fides News Agency, via AllAfrica, to be leading a new political-military movement announced on 12 October in Goma, the capital of North Kivu in eastern DRC. The group, called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), is described as the successor to the M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance (AFC).

According to the report, the FRN brings together figures already associated with the armed and political structures in eastern Congo, including Corneille Nangaa of the AFC, Bertrand Bisimwa of M23, and Emmanuel Sultani Makenga, who keeps a senior military role. Freddy Kaniki is named as secretary-general, while Benjamin Mbonimpa is listed as deputy secretary-general and remains involved in Doha peace-process talks.

The announcement has raised concern in Kinshasa because it appears to dissolve the AFC while creating a new structure at a time when the AFC/M23 is still linked to ongoing negotiations. The article says the group had signed a Doha framework agreement in November 2025, brokered with help from Qatar, the United States, the African Union and Togo’s president. That framework did not end the conflict, but was meant to guide further talks. The piece also notes that UN experts had previously warned of a closer association between Kabila and AFC/M23 and of a possible reorganization under his leadership.