Congo-Kinshasa: Ex-DR Congo President Kabila to Lead New 'Politico-Military' Alliance With M23 Rebels

Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has joined forces with the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group to lead a new political and military alliance, the Front for the Rebuilding of the Nation (FRN), announced at a press conference in Goma on October 12, 2026. Kabila, aged 55, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, will head the movement with senior rebel figures as deputies. This move significantly escalates Kabila's confrontation with President Félix Tshisekedi's government and unites a prominent political figure with an armed group controlling large parts of eastern DRC.