DRC: Joseph Kabila takes the lead of the FRN in Goma, AFC-M23 dissolved into a politico-military front

Joseph Kabila was appointed president of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) on the evening of October 12, 2026, at his residence in Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports Le360 Afrique. The former head of state, who led the country from 2001 to January 2019, thus takes the helm of a politico-military movement that absorbs the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and the M23.

Kabila did not speak during the press conference, specifies Le360 Afrique. The deputy positions were assigned to officials from the M23 and the AFC. In a statement released a few days later, Freddy Kaniki, one of the leaders of the FRN, announced the dissolution of the AFC and affirmed that the new front was assuming its rights, obligations, and commitments, including those subscribed to within the framework of the Doha negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.

"By any means including force"

The political declaration of the FRN mentions the end of "tyranny" in the DRC, "by any means including force," reports Le360 Afrique. The M23, which has controlled Goma since January 2025, had already announced its intention to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi. The armed group justifies its resort to arms by citing Kinshasa's failure to respect previous commitments; the Congolese government and several international partners accuse it of being supported by Rwanda, which Kigali denies by citing security threats originating from the eastern Congo.

A former president sentenced to death

Kabila's shift is all the more significant as he is legally sidelined in his own country. At the end of September 2026, following the lifting of his immunity, a Congolese military court sentenced him to death in absentia for treason and war crimes, with military justice presenting him as one of the initiators of the AFC, according to Le360 Afrique. His family denounced the conviction as "unjust" and "politically motivated," reports Al Jazeera.

Kinshasa has not officially reacted to the creation of the FRN. The previous week, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya had stated that Kabila had "nothing to offer but chaos" and described him as a "man of the past," cites Al Jazeera. Vital Kamerhe, former president of the National Assembly, called on the movement to renounce armed struggle and prioritize dialogue.

Two mediations already without effect on the ground

For the inhabitants of the east, the question is whether this reorganization will reignite fighting or influence negotiations. The ceasefire concluded in Doha under Qatari mediation in July 2025 is not being respected, and the agreement signed by Kinshasa and Kigali under the aegis of Washington has had no concrete effect on the ground, recalls Le360 Afrique. In Goma, residents interviewed by Al Jazeera fear a war that drags on, while a human rights activist fears that Doha and Washington will only produce agreements without peace.

The conflict has already displaced millions of people. And the Congolese political calendar adds to the tension: Tshisekedi's second and final term ends in 2028, and his majority is preparing public opinion for a constitutional revision that would pave the way for a third term, notes Le360 Afrique. In the East, the war has been fueled for thirty years by the same substance: unresolved regional rivalries and competition for mineral resources from which the Congolese rarely see the benefit.