Kabila named leader of new DR Congo rebel coalition

What the report says

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has been named leader of a new rebel coalition, according to the reporting cited by Nile Post. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, says it wants to coordinate “resistance forces” against President Félix Tshisekedi’s government and pursue its goals by force if needed. The announcement was made at Kabila’s residence in Goma, in eastern DR Congo, a city that has been under M23 control since last year.

The coalition’s leadership includes several figures linked to the AFC-M23 alliance. M23 leader Sultani Makenga is set to be one of Kabila’s four deputies, while the other three deputies also come from the same alliance. The article says AFC-M23 fighters seized much of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo last year, underlining the armed and political weight behind the new grouping.

The move marks the clearest public sign yet of Kabila’s involvement in an armed movement, after years of denying links to M23. It comes after he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason, and follows recent criticism he levelled at Tshisekedi’s administration over governance, security, the economy and alleged arrests of opponents. Kabila ruled DR Congo from 2001 to 2019. More broadly, the country remains affected by numerous militias and a long-running conflict in the east, which continues to shape national politics and debate over elections and term limits.