For months, Joseph Kabila denied taking sides in eastern Congo’s war. The Joseph Kabila new group, launched on Monday, now puts him at the head of a political-military force that aims to replace the AFC-M23 alliance.
What was announced
The platform is called the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN). A group adviser, Claude Ibalanky, announced it at a press conference in Goma. Kabila will lead it. Rebel figures Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki and Sultani Makenga will serve as his deputies.
From denial to leadership
The shift is striking. Congolese authorities have accused Kabila for months of backing AFC/M23, which seized large areas of the east in an offensive last year. He denied it. He travelled to rebel-held Goma in 2025, and several of his former allies later took posts inside the movement. A military court has since sentenced him to death in absentia for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He rejects the charges and calls the case politically motivated.
Nangaa, a close ally, ran the electoral commission during the contested 2018 vote that brought Felix Tshisekedi to power and ended Kabila’s presidency. Rwanda denies supporting the insurgency.
Why it matters across the region
For ordinary people in North and South Kivu, this means more uncertainty. Peace efforts led by African and international mediators have struggled to hold, and a rebrand with a former head of state at the top could complicate negotiations further. Kinshasa will likely see it as confirmation of its accusations, while the new group presents itself as a political project for national renewal.
Neighbours from Kigali to Luanda will be watching closely.
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