DR Congo's ex-president Kabila heads new political-military alliance involving M23

GOMA, DR Congo - Former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila was named head of a newly formed political-military alliance on Monday, bringing the political and military leaders of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion under his leadership.

The new alliance, known as the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), was unveiled at an event attended by Kabila and senior M23 officials in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province.

Under the new leadership structure, Corneille Nangaa, a leading figure in the rebel coalition, Bertrand Bisimwa, a senior M23 leader, and Sultani Makenga, the M23's military commander, were appointed the FRN's three vice presidents.

The FRN replaces the Congo River Alliance, the political coalition allied with the M23 rebels. It also brings together several other armed groups.

The announcement came three days after Kabila, who ruled the DRC from 2001 to 2019, delivered an address to the nation on Friday, calling for an inclusive national dialogue to solve the country's crisis.

On Sept 30, 2025, the DRC's High Military Court sentenced Kabila to death in absentia on charges including treason and crimes against humanity.

According to the verdict, Kabila was found guilty of multiple offenses, including participation in an insurrectional movement, intentional homicide, torture and rape, in a case linked to his alleged involvement with the M23 rebellion in eastern DRC.

Since January 2025, the security situation in eastern DRC has sharply deteriorated, with renewed fighting involving the M23, which has seized control of several strategic areas, including Goma.