Joseph Kabila named leader of new coalition including M23 rebels in eastern Congo

Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was named leader of a new coalition including M23 rebels in Goma on October 12, 2026. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, brings figures from armed groups into a leadership structure as fighting continues in eastern Congo and talks between the government and AFC/M23 remain unresolved.

The coalition includes groups previously united under the Congo River Alliance, known as AFC, according to the Associated Press. Corneille Nangaa, the former AFC leader, is one of four FRN vice-presidents. Actualite.cd also identifies M23 figures Bertrand Bisimwa as a vice-president and Sultani Makenga as chief of staff with vice-president rank. It names Freddy Kaniki as secretary-general and Benjamin Bonimpa as his deputy.

What the FRN said in Goma

At a news conference at Kabila’s Goma residence, coalition adviser Claude Ibalanky said the FRN’s mission was to restore the pillars of a functioning republic, AP reported. He said signatories would pool their forces, resources and means, and described an aim to unite resistance forces against what he called tyranny, including through the use of force. Those are the coalition’s stated intentions; the announcement does not establish that its members have combined their operations or altered control of territory.

The setting matters. M23 controls Goma and other key cities in eastern Congo after an offensive the previous year, according to AP. The wider region has endured decades of conflict involving roughly 100 armed groups. Congo, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, AP reported. The new coalition’s announcement places a former national president at the head of a movement that includes figures linked to a group already holding major eastern cities.

Kabila’s history with M23 and the government

A Congolese high military court sentenced Kabila to death in absentia the previous year after convicting him of treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to AP. The court found that he collaborated with Rwanda and M23. Kabila denied the accusations and called the proceedings politically motivated. AP also reported that the United States imposed sanctions on him earlier in 2026 over his alleged role in funding and providing political support to rebel groups in eastern Congo.

How the announcement could affect Doha talks

Yvon Muya, a University of Ottawa researcher, told AP that the announcement signalled direct confrontation between Kabila and Tshisekedi and could lead to military escalation. That is Muya’s assessment, rather than a confirmed consequence of the launch. He also said the FRN’s leadership structure could complicate negotiations in Doha between the government and AFC/M23. AP reported that clashes had continued more than a year after direct negotiations began.

The possibility of a reorganisation had surfaced before Monday. Actualite.cd reported that a UN Group of Experts report dated June 11 described a possible AFC/M23 restructuring, including a name change and a prominent role for Kabila. According to Actualite.cd’s account, the experts cited sources expecting an imminent change in leadership and structure. The UN document was not available for direct review in this reporting, so those findings remain attributed to Actualite.cd’s description.

Actualite.cd said the UN experts had also described increasingly public ties between Kabila and AFC/M23, including visits to group-controlled areas beginning in May 2025 and meetings with senior figures. Its account described differences within the movement: Kabila and Nangaa were said to seek power in Kinshasa, while most M23 leaders opposed operations beyond North and South Kivu. Sources cited in an annex described Makenga as distrustful of Kabila. Those reported differences make the new leadership chart an incomplete guide to how the coalition will act.

For now, the confirmed change is the public announcement of the FRN and Kabila’s place at its head. Whether its members coordinate in practice, whether their positions on operations converge, and how the announcement affects the Doha process remain open questions. The coalition has declared an intention to use force, but the available reports do not establish a subsequent operation under the FRN name.