DR Congo government says Kabila is planning a 'general attack' after he takes over rebel coalition
Former president Joseph Kabila now heads the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, which replaces the AFC-M23 alliance. The group says it will keep commitments from talks in Doha.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government has accused former president Joseph Kabila of planning a “general attack” on the country after he took charge of a new coalition that includes the M23 armed group, AFP reported.
Kabila “has decided to formalise his widespread attack against the Republic,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya told AFP on Friday 16 October. “The choice to take up arms means killing Congolese in order to try to conquer territories,” he said.
The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) was announced in Goma on Monday 12 October with Kabila as its head and M23 leaders as deputies, AFP and Al Jazeera reported. It replaces the alliance between the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and M23, accuses President Félix Tshisekedi of “tyranny” and says it aims to end it “by any means, including force”. In a statement on Wednesday, FRN official Freddy Kaniki said the group would take on the AFC’s “rights, obligations and commitments, in particular those entered into as part of the Doha negotiations”, Al Jazeera reported.
In a speech posted online on Friday, Kabila said the government was “motivated solely by its own perpetuation in power”, AFP reported. Vital Kamerhe, a former speaker of the National Assembly, called on the movement’s leaders to “abandon their plans and prioritise the path of dialogue”, Al Jazeera reported.
Background
M23 and Rwandan forces captured the eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025, according to AFP; fighting continues, particularly in South Kivu. Congo’s government and international actors have accused Rwanda of backing M23, which Rwanda denies. Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, was sentenced to death in absentia a year ago over alleged complicity with M23; he denies the allegations, and his relatives called the verdict politically motivated. Qatar is hosting talks between the government and AFC-M23, and the United States has brokered a separate agreement between Congo and Rwanda.
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