Former president Joseph Kabila has made a dramatic return to Congolese politics. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), announced on Monday, October 12 in Goma, has placed him at its head. The choice of venue is telling: Goma has been controlled by AFC/M23 since January 2025.
The new platform presents itself as a rallying point. It includes several AFC/M23 figures and seeks to unite the forces opposed to President Félix Tshisekedi. Its leadership lineup underscores the link with the rebellion. Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa serve as vice presidents, Sultani Makenga as chief of general staff, Freddy Kaniki as secretary general and Benjamin Bonimpa as his deputy.
The FRN’s backers make no secret of their aims. Coalition adviser Claude Ibalanky said the movement intends to end “tyranny” by every available means, force included. According to him, the signatories decided to pool their forces, resources and assets rather than continue with scattered initiatives. Yet the message remains mixed. Moïse Nyarugabo, another coalition member, said the group is still willing to consider a peaceful solution, while warning Félix Tshisekedi that he would get war if he chose it.
Some observers saw this reshuffle coming. As early as its June 11, 2026 report, the UN Group of Experts on the DRC pointed to a possible restructuring of AFC/M23, including a name change and a leading role for Joseph Kabila. The former head of state had already tried to organize the opposition. In October 2025, after meeting other opposition figures in Nairobi, he launched a movement to “save” the country and rally Congolese against what he called a dictatorship. What sets this new effort apart is its open alliance with an armed rebellion.
The legal backdrop weighs heavily on the initiative. In September 2025, Congo’s High Military Court sentenced Joseph Kabila to death in absentia, notably for treason and war crimes, accusing him of collaborating with Rwanda and M23. He has consistently denied the charges, calling the case politically motivated. Leading a coalition that includes M23 may well reinforce, in Kinshasa’s eyes, the very case the judges made against him.
The Congolese government had not officially responded at the time of the announcement. On the ground, fighting between the army and AFC/M23 continues in the east despite diplomatic efforts to de-escalate. The FRN’s emergence therefore raises many questions about its real objectives, its exact ties to the rebellion and its impact on peace talks. Whether it can hold its components together and set out a clear political program will show if this is a genuine turning point or merely a change of label.