World

Former DRC President Kabila Forms New Rebel‑Backed Coalition

By Shola Lawal

Former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila announced on Monday that he had created a new political‑military coalition, the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), from his residence in Goma. The move confirms accusations by the Kinshasa government that he has ties to armed rebels. Kabila said he will lead the alliance, with Corneille Nangaa, a former elections commissioner who left government to launch the Congo River Alliance (AFC), serving as deputy. Bertrand Bisimwa, an M23 spokesman, will also be deputy, while Freddy Kaniki, a medical doctor and senior M23 health official, will be secretary‑general and Sultani Makenga of the M23 will be the army chief of the FRN.

Kabila, 55, who succeeded his father Laurent Kabila in 2001, had previously served as army chief and fought in the two Congo civil wars. His term, which officially ended in 2016, was marked by rights violations and corruption. He delayed elections until 2018 and left office in 2019 after a power‑sharing deal with opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi. In 2023, Tshisekedi launched corruption investigations against Kabila, prompting the former president to go into self‑imposed exile in South Africa.

The FRN’s stated goal is to “put an end to tyranny by any means necessary, including the use of force,” according to spokesperson Claude Ibalanky. The announcement comes a year after a Kinshasa military court sentenced Kabila to death for alleged links to rebel groups. Washington also imposed sanctions on him in April, alleging he funded rebels.

The eastern DRC has been embroiled in conflict for more than 30 years, with the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congo River Alliance (AFC) fighting government forces and controlling large areas. The M23, formed in 2012 from former Tutsi fighters, claims to defend minority rights and seeks to unseat the Kinshasa government. It has seized towns such as Goma and Bukavu and holds North and South Kivu, where Kabila is from.

Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani reported that the new alliance could heighten fears of further escalation, potential defections of soldiers to Kabila, and a possible collapse of ongoing peace talks. In June 2025, the DRC and Rwanda signed a US‑led peace agreement, while a separate Doha Framework mediated by Qatar was intended to bring the DRC and M23‑AFC together. Analysts warn that the FRN could harden Kinshasa’s stance toward the rebel movement and Kabila, potentially isolating him regionally and affecting the conflict’s trajectory on the ground.