Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), has announced plans to lead a new rebel alliance aligned with the Rwanda-backed M23 movement, further complicating ongoing peace efforts in the resource-rich eastern region of the country. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), the newly formed coalition, integrates the M23 rebels and their political wing L’Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), which currently controls significant territory including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Kabila, who served as president from 2001 until 2019, was convicted of treason in absentia in Kinshasa and sentenced to death in September 2025 for allegedly supporting the rebel group. The announcement of his leadership role in the FRN coincided with the 30th anniversary of his father Laurent Kabila’s emergence as leader of a Rwanda-backed rebellion that overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko’s long-standing dictatorship, an event that triggered decades of regional instability.
The FRN is supported by prominent former M23 figures, including Sultani Makenga, the group’s military commander, and Corneille Nangaa, a former electoral commissioner and head of the AFC, who have been named as Kabila’s deputies. Claude Ibaklany, an adviser to the coalition, said the FRN aims to unify and coordinate resistance forces across DR Congo to end what it described as tyranny “by any means necessary.”
The formation of the alliance has provoked debate within Congolese political circles. Some observers argue that the FRN’s establishment will deepen the de facto partition of the country, while others view it as a mechanism for Rwanda—accused by critics of commanding the rebellion militarily—to present the conflict as a purely Congolese issue. Rwanda denies direct involvement and insists its cross-border military actions are defensive measures against ethnic extremist threats.
Kabila’s political reemergence comes amid heightened tensions with the current government led by President Felix Tshisekedi, who succeeded Kabila following contested elections in 2019. In a recent speech, Kabila accused Tshisekedi of attempting to extend his rule beyond the constitutional two-term limit set for 2028. He also criticised Tshisekedi’s handling of the military and alleged corruption, particularly targeting mineral agreements made with the United States.
The Congolese government has not yet issued a response to Kabila’s announcement or these accusations. Meanwhile, the creation of the FRN signals a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, a region long plagued by armed insurgencies and competition over valuable mineral resources. Efforts by the United States and other international actors to broker peace in the area now face further obstacles amid shifting alliances and renewed political contestation.