Kabila joins the (AFC/M23) rebel coalition known as the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN)

Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila has joined a new political-military front that brings together the Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 coalition. Analysts say it could reshape opposition to President Felix Tshisekedi.

Joseph Kabila's decision to lead a new political-military movement, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), puts the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in more direct confrontation with President Felix Tshisekedi's government. Kabila announced the FRN on October 12 in Goma, eastern DRC, at his residence, where leaders of the AFC/M23 rebel movements joined him.

FRN coalition adviser, Claude Ibalanky, said the group would unite opposition forces, including figures associated with the AFC/M23 movement. The new structure succeeds the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which had been allied with the M23 rebellion. Its leadership includes former AFC leader Corneille Nangaa and M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa. Sultani Makenga, a senior M23 military commander, was also assigned a senior role in the new organization.

The announcement comes as diplomatic initiatives seek to end fighting between Congolese government forces and the rebellion.

Congolese authorities have accused Kabila of supporting the insurgency, allegations he has denied. On September 30, 2025, a military court sentenced him to death in absentia after convicting him of treason, war crimes and other offenses linked to the conflict in eastern DRC. Kabila has rejected the case as politically motivated.

Adolph Amisi Makutano, an official of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), criticized the former president for taking a more public role.

"It was a lack of courage that made this gentleman drag his feet. They held several meetings and today he is being pushed to step out into the open. But it is a disgrace for the DRC," Makutano said.

Eastern DRC has experienced decades of conflict involving armed groups, competition over territory andmineral resources, and tensions with neighboring countries.

The aftermath of Rwanda's 1994 genocide against the Tutsicontributed to successive regional conflicts, as armed groups and refugees crossed borders and neighboring states became involved in Congo's civil wars.

M23 takes its name from a March 23, 2009, peace agreement. The movement says the Congolese government failed to honor commitments to integrate its fighters and protect minority Congolese Tutsis.

Kinshasa, the United Nations (UN) and Western governments haveaccused Rwanda of supporting M23 and exercising influence over its operations. Rwanda denies backing the rebellion and cites security threats posed by armed groups operating in Congo. In 2025, M23 captured Goma and Bukavu, two major cities in eastern Congo. Its territorial gains weakened government control across parts of the region, displaced civilians and intensified an already severe humanitarian crisis.

Kabila's leadership of the new front raises questions about whether he intends to consolidate opposition to Tshisekedi, strengthen the rebellion's political leadership, or pursue both.