DR Congo’s former president Kabila to lead new movement with M23 rebels

Key Points:

• Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila has joined forces with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group to lead a new politico-military organization called the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), aiming to end what they call tyranny by any means, including force.
• The FRN was announced at a press conference in Goma, a city controlled by M23 since January 2025, with Kabila as head and rebel leaders as deputies, marking Kabila's more direct involvement in the eastern Congo insurgency.
• Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019 and was sentenced to death in absentia last year for alleged complicity with M23, denies accusations of initiating the Congo River Alliance, M23's former political wing.
• The alliance emerges amid political uncertainty in DR Congo, with President Felix Tshisekedi nearing the end of his second term in 2028, while discussions about amending the constitutional term limits are underway.
• Eastern DR Congo remains volatile with decades of conflict involving the M23 rebel group, alleged Rwandan support, and failed peace efforts, including recent ceasefire agreements that have not been upheld.