Former President Kabila emerges as leader of the Coalition in Congo

Former Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) president Joseph Kabila has emerged as the leader of a new political-military coalition seeking to overthrow the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.

His appearance was announced at a press conference on Monday, during the inauguration of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) at Kabila’s residence in Goma, eastern DRC, a city that has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since last year.

Claude Ibalanky, an adviser to the group, announced that Kabila would lead the coalition, with Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki and Sultani Makenga as his deputies.

The coalition said it aims to coordinate “resistance forces” to end what it describes as “tyranny” in Congo, adding that it will achieve that goal “by all means, including violence”.

Makenga is the leader of M23, while Nangaa and Bisimwa are also linked to the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)-M23 coalition, which took control of much of Congo’s mineral-rich east last year.

The formation of the FRN marked a more direct role for Kabila in the armed movement after he repeatedly denied supporting M23, despite accusations from Congolese authorities that he supported the rebellion.

Kabila’s announcement came days after he delivered a speech promising an outline of how the Congolese people could “save” their country.

On Friday, he accused Tshisekedi’s government of ignoring proposals he made to help end the conflict in eastern Congo.

Kabila accused the government of corruption, poor economic management, deteriorating security and arbitrary arrests of political opponents and military officials. He also criticized the government’s minerals agreement with the United States.

The government has not publicly responded to the allegations or commented on the formation of the new coalition.

Kabila, 55, ruled Congo from 2001 until January 2019, when Tshisekedi took office after a disputed election.

The former president remained largely out of the public eye for several years before becoming increasingly critical of his successor’s administration. He traveled to rebel-held Goma in 2025, with several of his former allies taking up positions in AFC-M23.

In a separate case, Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia by a military court after being found guilty of treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity on charges of supporting the rebellion. He denied the allegations and described the case as politically motivated.

The emergence of the new coalition comes amidst uncertainty about the country’s political future. Tshisekedi’s second term will end in 2028, but he said elections scheduled for that year might not be held because of the conflict.

He also suggested seeking a third term, while parliament has passed a bill that could pave the way for a referendum on changing the two-term limit in the constitution.

The proposed changes have sparked protests in the capital Kinshasa, where authorities clashed with demonstrators last month.