DRC’s ex-president Kabila heads new political-military alliance involving M23

What the report says

Former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila has been named leader of a new political-military alliance that brings together figures linked to the M23 rebellion, according to The Independent Uganda, citing Xinhua. The alliance, called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), was announced in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, at an event attended by Kabila and senior M23 officials.

The report said the FRN replaces the Congo River Alliance, which had served as the M23’s political coalition, and also includes other armed groups. Under the new structure, Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa and Sultani Makenga were named vice presidents. Kabila, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, had days earlier called for an inclusive national dialogue to address the country’s crisis.

The development comes against the backdrop of worsening insecurity in eastern DRC, where fighting involving M23 has continued since early 2025 and the group has taken control of several strategic areas, including Goma. The article also noted that Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia by the DRC’s High Military Court in September 2025 on charges including treason and crimes against humanity. More broadly, the alliance appears to signal a closer political and military consolidation around M23, though the article does not provide details on how the FRN will operate.