# Former DRC President Joseph Kabila Leads New Coalition Aiming to Oust Current Leader

> Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has taken charge of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a new political-military coalition, which announced its intent to militarily overthrow President Felix Tshisekedi on October 12, 2026, in Goma.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-18T20:17:55.845167Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/former-drc-president-joseph-kabila-leads-new-coalition-aiming-to-oust-current-leader-ed68848c

Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has assumed leadership of a new political-military coalition, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), announced on October 12, 2026, in Goma, eastern DRC, explicitly stating its intention to end President Felix Tshisekedi's rule by force [1][2]. This development escalates the conflict in eastern DRC and raises significant concerns for regional stability, particularly as it involves a former head of state leading an armed rebellion [1][3][4].

## The New Coalition

The FRN formally replaces or absorbs the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and includes the M23 rebels [1][2][4]. The declaration establishing the FRN, dated October 12, states that the AFC's existence has ended, with the FRN succeeding it [2][4]. Joseph Kabila serves as President of the new organization, with Bertrand Bisimwa as First Vice-President and Corneille Nangaa as Second Vice-President [2][5]. Major General Sultani Makenga is appointed Chief of Defence Staff, and Professor Dr. Freddy Kaniki is the Secretary-General [2][5]. The coalition's stated mission is to end what it describes as tyranny by any means necessary, including force, citing Article 64 of the Congolese Constitution to justify its actions [2][5].

## A Shift in Alliances

This move marks a significant departure for Kabila, who governed the DRC for 18 years and previously considered M23 his primary adversary [4]. His alliance with the rebel group represents a major political shift and introduces a new dimension to his opposition against President Tshisekedi [4]. The formation of the FRN also complicates ongoing peace negotiations mediated by Qatar in Doha, which involve the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 [2][5]. Analysts suggest the FRN provides the rebels with a political voice claiming national legitimacy, potentially altering the terms of future diplomatic engagement [5].

## The Timeline of Emergence

The announcement on October 12, 2026, followed two days of closed-door meetings among the movement's leaders in Goma, a city that has been under M23 control since January 2025 [2][4][5]. Reports indicate that a United Nations Group of Experts had noted a possible restructuring of the AFC/M23 with a leading role for Kabila as early as June [5]. Days before the formal announcement, Kabila delivered a recorded address criticizing President Tshisekedi's government, portraying the Congolese crisis as a national emergency [2][4].

## Official Statements

The FRN explicitly states its intention to remove President Felix Tshisekedi from power, including through the use of force [1]. The group's adviser reiterated that its mission is to end tyranny "by any means necessary, including force" [5]. The Congolese government has interpreted Kabila's move as a "general attack" against the state [5].

## What We Could Not Confirm

It remains unclear how the FRN plans to mobilize additional political and military support beyond what the M23-AFC already commands, particularly given current pressure from the Congolese military and allied militias [3]. The declaration establishing the FRN does not explicitly detail the future status of the M23 movement independently from the FRN [2]. The specific objectives beyond overthrowing President Tshisekedi, such as a reconfiguration of power or altered negotiation terms, are also questions yet to be definitively answered [4].

## Evidence cited
1. Fears grow in DRC as former President Joseph Kabila joins rebellion (www.aljazeera.com) — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/18/fears-grow-in-drc-as-former-president-joseph-kabila-joins-rebellion?traffic_source=rss
2. (October 12 2026) GOMA – The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), the political coalition linked to the M23 rebel movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), has been replaced by a new political-military organisation led by former president Joseph Kabila, following a leadership restructuring that had been rumoured for months. The announcement came late on Monday evening after the movement's top leaders held two days of closed-door meetings in Goma, a city under their control in North Ki (ktpress.rw) — https://ktpress.rw/
3. (October 16 2026) John Ngono comments on the potential for a broader political opposition movement, the challenges of securing additional support, and the prospects for further military escalation in eastern DRC. 16 October 2026 2-minute read. On this page. Author. John Ngono. portrait-default-featured. On 12 October 2026, former DRC President Joseph Kabila publicly allied with the rebel M23-AFC movement, which controls vast areas of North Kivu and South Kivu in eastern DRC. Kabila announced he  (acleddata.com) — https://acleddata.com/
4. (October 17 2026) Joseph Kabila ran the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 18 years, during which he considered rebels in the east of the country as enemy number one. This week, he took the mantle of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), formalising his alliance with AFC/M23, the biggest rebel group in the east. That means he has also embraced a confrontation with Félix Tshisekedi, his successor in Kinshasa in 2019. The announced dissolution of the AFC at a time when peace nego (theeastafrican.co.ke) — https://theeastafrican.co.ke/
5. (October 17 2026) A rebellion gets a new face Joseph Kabila was proclaimed president of the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN) at his residence in Goma, a city the M23 has controlled since January 2025. The FRN absorbs the AFC/M23 and Twirwaneho. Kinshasa's accusation of a "general attack" against the state is the government's reading of that move. Kabila's side presents it as a fight against tyranny. Who is in the room. Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa are vice-presidents, Sultan (modernghana.com) — https://modernghana.com/
6. (October 13 2026) What coalition did Joseph Kabila become the leader of in 2026? ... On October 12, 2026, Joseph Kabila became the leader of a new coalition of groups opposed to the current Congolese government called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (Front pour la Refondation de la Nation; FRN).
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(October 13 2026) What coalition did Joseph Kabila become the leader of in 2026? On October 12, 2026, Joseph Kabila became the leader of a new coalition of groups op. ... On October 12,  (britannica.com) — https://britannica.com/
7. (October 13 2026) Africa13 October 2026 - 14:04. Ex-president named leader of new DR Congo rebel coalition. Joseph Kabila had previously denied having links to the M23 rebels, which control much of eastern DR Congo. image. by BBC NEWS. Share. Vocalize Pre-Player Loader. Audio By Vocalize. Former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila/ (Str/Xinhua). Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has been named the leader of a new rebel coalition seeking to oust the govern (the-star.co.ke) — https://the-star.co.ke/
8. (October 17 2026) Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila this week became the head of a new political-military coalition made up of rebel groups fighting government forces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), complicating the conflict and peace efforts in eastern DRC. The move comes after Kabila previously denied ties to the M23-led rebel alliance, backed by Rwanda, which seized large parts of the mineral-rich eastern DRC last year. In a statement Monday, the newly formed Front f (globalpost.com) — https://globalpost.com/
9. (October 16 2026) On 12 October 2026, former Congolese president Joseph Kabila announced in M23-controlled Goma the creation of the Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN), a new political-military movement bringing together the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion and its political coalition, the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC). The FRN formally absorbs the AFC, and takes over its political and military structures as well as existing commitments, including the negotiations in Doha. It also makes more e (democracyinafrica.org) — https://democracyinafrica.org/
10. (October 12 2026) GOMA, DR Congo, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila was named head of a newly formed political-military alliance on Monday, bringing the political and military leaders of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion under his leadership. The new alliance, known as the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), was unveiled at an event attended by Kabila and senior M23 officials in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Provinc (news.cn) — https://news.cn/
11. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, French: Front pour la Refondation de la Nation , (FRN) is a political-military coalition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that was founded on 12 October 2026. Led by Joseph Kabila, it includes the Congo River Alliance and the March 23 Movement. Front for the Refoundation of the Nation. Front pour la Refondation de la Nation. Other name, FRN. Founding leader, Joseph Kabila. Deputy leaders. Sultani Makenga · Bertrand Bisimwa · Corneille Nangaa.  (wikipedia.org) — https://wikipedia.org/
12. (October 12 2026) GOMA, Congo(AP) — Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Monday launched a new political and military coalition of groups opposed to the current government, including the M23 rebels who have captured wide swaths of territory in eastern Congo. Kabila's new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, includes rebel groups formerly united under the Congo River Alliance, whose former leader Corneille Nangaa will serve as one of the new coalition's four vice presidents. C (kvue.com) — https://kvue.com/
13. (October 13 2026) The former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila has been appointed the highest responsible for a new political-military front that integrates the March 23 Movement (M23) and takes over from the Congo River Alliance (AFC, for its initials in French), thus reinforcing its political and military weight after the insurgency against his successor, Félix Tshisekedi. This new bloc, called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), was official (democrata.es) — https://democrata.es/
14. (October 13 2026) Kinshasa (Fides News Agency) – Former President Joseph Kabila is at the helm of a new political-military movement announced on 12 October in Goma, capital of North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (Front pour la Refondation de la Nation, FRN) was founded as the successor to the M23, a pro-Rwandan armed movement, and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance (Alliance Fleuve Congo, AFC). For  (fides.org) — https://fides.org/
15. (October 13 2026) SOS Médias Burundi. Goma, October 13, 2026 — Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has taken the helm of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a new politico-military movement announced Monday, October 12, in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and until now the headquarters of the AFC/M23 politico-military coalition. The movement announced the dissolution of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), of which it describes itself as the successor, and declared its am (sosmediasburundi.org) — https://sosmediasburundi.org/
16. (October 13 2026) Joseph Kabila, former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been named leader of a new political-military coalition seeking to overthrow the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.
...
(October 13 2026) Joseph Kabila, former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been named leader of a new political-military coalition seeking to overthrow the government of President Félix Tshisekedi. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) was u (thecable.ng) — https://thecable.ng/
17. (October 12 2026) Joseph Kabila leads the new FRN rebel coalition in DR Congo, which vows to oust Félix Tshisekedi by all means, as M23 commander Sultani Makenga becomes deputy.
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(October 12 2026) Summary by Tuko.co.ke - Kenya News. Joseph Kabila leads the new FRN rebel coalition in DR Congo, which vows to oust Félix Tshisekedi by all means, as M23 commander Sultani Makenga becomes deputy.
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(October 12 2026) Joseph Kabila Named Leader of New DR Congo Rebel Coalition Seeking to Oust Tshisek (ground.news) — https://ground.news/
18. (October 12 2026) BREAKING · DRC: in Goma, birth of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), successor to the AFC. H.E. Joseph Kabila takes the helm, with Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa and Maj-Gen Sultani Makenga (ARC chief of staff) as deputies. URGENT RDC : le Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN) voit le jour à Goma ce 12 octobre 2026 et succède à l'AFC. À sa tête, S.E. Joseph Kabila, secondé par trois vice-présidents : Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa et le général-m (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/
19. (October 16 2026) The Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN), a new political movement created by former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila, has taken over all rights, obligations and commitments previously held by the Allied Forces of the Congo (AFC/M23) under the Doha peace process. The FRN was formally established in Goma on Monday, October 12, marking the dissolution of the AFC/M23. Freddy Kaniki, the FRN's Secretary General and Executive Coordinator, said the new movement succeeds the A (kenya-today.com) — https://kenya-today.com/
20. (October 12 2026) DR CONGO-GOMA-KABILA-NEW COALITION. DR CONGO-GOMA-KABILA-NEW COALITION. (261012) -- GOMA, Oct. 12, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila attends the launching ceremony of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province of DRC, on Oct. 12, 2026. Kabila was named head of a newly formed political-military ... Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) in Goma, the capital of  (bignewsnetwork.com) — https://bignewsnetwork.com/