Former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila has emerged as leader of a new political-military coalition seeking to overthrow the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.
His emergence was announced at a press conference on Monday, during the unveiling of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) at Kabila’s residence in Goma, eastern DRC, a city 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 deputies.
The coalition said it aims to coordinate “resistance forces” to end what it described as “tyranny” in the DRC, adding that it would pursue the objective “by all means, including force”.
Makenga is a leader of M23, while Nangaa and Bisimwa are also associated with the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)-M23 coalition, which seized swathes of mineral-rich eastern DRC last year.
The formation of the FRN marks a more direct role for Kabila in an armed movement after he repeatedly denied supporting M23, despite accusations from Congolese authorities that he was backing the insurgency.
Kabila’s announcement came days after he delivered a speech promising to outline how Congolese people could “rescue” their country.
On Friday, he accused Tshisekedi’s administration of disregarding proposals he had made to help end the conflict in eastern DRC.
Kabila accused the government of corruption, poor economic management, deteriorating security and arbitrary arrests of political opponents and military officers. He also criticised 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 DR Congo from 2001 until January 2019, when Tshisekedi took office following a disputed election.
The former president has largely remained out of public view for several years before becoming increasingly critical of his successor’s administration. He travelled to rebel-held Goma in 2025, with several former allies assuming positions within AFC-M23.
In a separate case, Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia by a military court after being convicted of treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity over allegations that he supported the rebellion. He has denied the accusations and described the case as politically motivated.
The emergence of the new coalition comes amid uncertainty over the country’s political future. Tshisekedi’s second term is due to end in 2028, but he has said elections scheduled for that year may 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 changes to the constitution’s two-term limit.
The proposed changes have triggered protests in Kinshasa, the capital, where authorities clashed with demonstrators last month.