For years Kinshasa accused Joseph Kabila of quietly backing the rebellion in eastern Congo. On 12 October he publicly took the leadership of a new alliance with M23. At a press conference at his residence in Goma, the former president was unveiled as head of the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), a new alliance with the Rwanda-backed M23, with rebel leaders serving as his deputies, France 24 reported.
A new name, a familiar face
The FRN replaces the public brand of the alliance between the Alliance Fleuve Congo and M23. Reuters called it the rebellion’s biggest leadership shake-up in years.
Diplomats, rebel sources and analysts told Reuters that having a former head of state at the top helps the movement argue it is a national cause, not a Rwandan proxy. The harder question, they said, is whether Kabila can actually bring Congolese supporters or regional allies with him.
A long road back to Goma
Kabila ran Congo from 2001 to 2019. He had denied links to the rebels, but in 2025 he was sentenced to death in absentia for complicity with M23, according to France 24. Choosing Goma, which M23 has held since January 2025, put him squarely inside rebel-run territory.
The rebels accuse President Félix Tshisekedi’s government of corruption, discrimination and repression, and say they want him gone. Those are their claims, not established findings.
The FRN said it would assume AFC/M23’s commitments under the Qatar-mediated talks. Reuters reported that both sides continued to blame each other for the fighting.
