Former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila announced a new political-military coalition with M23 leaders in Goma on October 12, taking a more direct role in the armed opposition to President Félix Tshisekedi and prompting concern that fighting could widen.
The group, called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), brings together Kabila and figures from M23 and the Congo River Alliance, the movement’s former political wing. Its leadership includes Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa as vice presidents, M23 military commander Sultani Makenga as chief of general staff, and Freddy Kaniki as secretary-general. Coalition adviser Claude Ibalanky said the FRN intends to unite resistance forces and pursue its aims “by any means,” including force.
The announcement makes public Kabila’s association with a rebellion that Congolese authorities have long accused him of supporting; he has denied those allegations. A military court sentenced him to death in absentia last year over charges tied to the conflict, a case he has described as politically motivated. The United Nations and Western governments accuse Rwanda of backing M23, while Rwanda denies supporting the group.
The new front emerges as diplomatic efforts and ceasefire arrangements have struggled to stop the fighting, raising fears of further clashes and complicating prospects for peace talks.