Former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila was named head of a new political-military alliance in Goma on October 12. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, brings M23 rebel leaders under his leadership and explicitly allows force to pursue its political goals.

A new leadership for the rebel alliance

The FRN succeeds the Alliance Fleuve Congo, or AFC, the political coalition allied with the March 23 Movement, known as M23. Its founding declaration says adoption and signature of the document end the AFC’s existence.

Corneille Nangaa, a leading figure in the rebel coalition, and senior M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa were appointed vice presidents. M23 military commander Sultani Makenga became the third vice president. Freddy Kaniki was named secretary-general, according to a Congolese news report.

The alliance also includes several other armed groups, Xinhua reported. The six-page declaration is dated October 12, 2026. Its initiators said it followed consultations held in Goma on October 10 and 11.

Advertisement

Declaration includes the use of force

The FRN’s declaration says it seeks to unite forces opposed to Félix Tshisekedi’s government. It sets out a mission to coordinate resistance and end what its authors describe as tyranny, using all means, including force.

The initiators also invoke Article 64 of the Congolese Constitution. They describe the provision as establishing a duty to resist the seizure or exercise of power in violation of the Constitution.

Three days before the announcement, Kabila called for an inclusive national dialogue in an address to the nation, Xinhua reported. He served as president from 2001 to 2019.

Conflict and legal background

The announcement took place in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern Congo. Renewed fighting involving M23 has sharply worsened security in the east since January 2025. The rebels have seized strategic areas, including Goma.

Congolese authorities and United Nations experts had accused Kabila of links to M23, according to a Congolese news report. The same report said he had denied supporting the movement for months.

Congo’s High Military Court sentenced Kabila to death in absentia on September 30, 2025. He has not recognized the verdict, according to the Congolese report.

It remains unclear whether the FRN’s announced succession to the AFC will reorganize M23’s military components, how far its leaders’ authority over armed units extends, or who will assume existing peace-negotiation commitments.