“The population’s anger will be directed at him”: Major General Kabi Kiriza warns Joseph Kabila

On October 23, 2026, Republican Guard commander Major General Kabi Kiriza Ephraïm addressed more than 5,000 troops at Colonel Tshatshi military camp in Kinshasa. He criticized former president Joseph Kabila for joining and creating a rebel movement, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, which succeeded the AFC/M23, and said the Congolese population’s anger would be directed at him. Kiriza also urged his troops to uphold patriotism, discipline and unity, and denounced disinformation campaigns targeting the Republican Guard.