Former DR Congo president Kabila joins M23 rebels in a new coalition

What the report says

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has announced a new political and military alliance that includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement, according to Al Jazeera. He unveiled the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, at a press conference in Goma, a major eastern city that M23 has controlled since January 2025. The move appears to formalize Kabila’s alignment with armed actors operating in the country’s volatile east.

Al Jazeera reported that Kabila said he would lead the coalition alongside rebel figures, including Corneille Nangaa, a former leader of the Congo River Alliance and a political face of M23. A coalition adviser said the group’s aim is to unite resistance forces against what it described as tyranny, including through force. There was no immediate comment from the Congolese government.

The announcement comes as DR Congo remains locked in conflict in its eastern provinces, where M23 has seized extensive territory. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said the new coalition could heighten tensions with President Felix Tshisekedi’s government and raise the risk of more fighting. It may also complicate planned talks between government and M23 representatives in Qatar. As background, Kabila governed DR Congo from 2001 to 2019 and has faced serious legal and political disputes since leaving office, including a death sentence in absentia that he rejects.