DR Congo: Belgium condemns Joseph Kabila’s alliance with the M23

Belgium condemned on October 21 former Congolese president Joseph Kabila’s decision to lead the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a political-military coalition that includes the M23 rebel movement. Addressing the Belgian Chamber of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called the move “deplorable, incomprehensible and unacceptable.” Brussels criticized the use of arms to seize power and urged dialogue to end the conflict in eastern DR Congo. The FRN’s formation was announced in Goma on October 12, amid armed opposition to President Félix Tshisekedi.