Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has launched a new politico-military coalition named the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, joining forces with M23 rebels in Goma to challenge President Félix Tshisekedi and vowing to use force to end his administration.
Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has formally stepped out of the shadows and taken the helm of a new politico-military front in the conflict-ridden eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Announced in the North Kivu capital of Goma on Monday, October 12, 2026, the newly formed Front for the Refoundation of the Nation aims to dismantle the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.
The coalition absorbs and dissolves the Congo River Alliance, bringing together armed insurgents and prominent political figures under a unified banner. Kabila serves as president of the new movement, joined in leadership by M23 and allied figures who control strategic swathes of mineral-rich eastern territory.
Leaders Shape Front Structure
The newly unveiled hierarchy blends political operatives and battlefield commanders. Alongside Kabila at the top, the movement designates former electoral commission chief Corneille Nangaa and M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa as vice presidents, operating without distinction of rank between them.
Major General Emmanuel Sultani Makenga, who serves as Chief of Staff for the Congolese Revolutionary Army, takes a prominent military leadership role as a vice president. Additional appointments include Freddy Kaniki as secretary general, Benjamin Mbonimpa as deputy secretary general, and Désiré Rukomera as permanent secretary of the founders’ council.
Claude Ibalanky, an adviser to the coalition, laid out the movement’s core objective during a news conference at Kabila’s Goma residence, stating that the group intends to unite and coordinate all resistance forces in order to put an end to tyranny — by any means necessary, including the use of force
according to the Associated Press reporting.
Kinshasa Condemns Alliance
Government officials in Kinshasa reacted swiftly to the formalization of the alliance, dismissing the new structure as a superficial rebranding exercise for an existing armed threat. Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese government spokesman, characterized the move in an interview with Agence France-Presse as a direct escalation reported on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Kabila has decided to formalize his large-scale offensive against the Republic
Patrick Muyaya, Congolese government spokesperson
In an online address, former president Joseph Kabila criticized President Félix Tshisekedi’s government, accusing the administration of seeking only to maintain its own power.
Kabila Invokes Article Sixty-Four
In interviews following the launch, Kabila defended the coalition’s resort to arms by pointing directly to the country’s supreme law. Invoking Article 64 of the Congolese Constitution, he argued that citizens hold a duty to resist when governance fails constitutional bounds.
Kabila ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2001 until 2019, when he handed power to Tshisekedi in the country’s first peaceful transfer of power. Speaking to journalists from Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes warned that the current administration is repeating historical errors that will inevitably lead to its collapse.
I believe that the current regime is just repeating those same mistakes, and the result will definitely be the same. They won’t last.
Joseph Kabila, Former President of the DRC
Kabila drew direct parallels to past authoritarian regimes in the region, including the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda and the long presidency of Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire. We are close to the situation that we had during former President Mobutu Sese Seko, and that is unacceptable,
Kabila said.
Court Issues Death Sentence
The coalition’s formation compounds an already severe legal standoff between Kinshasa and the former head of state. In September 2025, a Congolese high military court sentenced Kabila to death in absentia on charges including treason, war crimes, and supporting an insurrection. Kabila has consistently denied the allegations, characterizing the proceedings as politically motivated.
Addressing the reinstated death penalty, Kabila criticized Kinshasa for using capital punishment as an instrument of intimidation against political opponents, military officers, and the civilian population.
Meanwhile, the mainstream civilian political opposition in the DRC has sought to distance itself from the newly militarized coalition. While opposition groups have continuously protested Tshisekedi’s proposed constitutional amendments—which could potentially clear the path for a third term when his second mandate ends in 2028—the main opposition coalition released a statement condemning any seizure of power by force.