Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila to lead new movement with M23 rebels

Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will lead a new political and military movement alongside the Rwanda-backed armed group M23, which controls large areas of the country's violence-hit east. The partnership was presented at a joint press conference at Kabila's residence in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, which M23 has controlled since January 2025.

Kabila, 55, ruled the country from 2001 to 2019. A year ago he was sentenced to death in absentia for "complicity" with M23. Congolese authorities accuse him of being among the initiators of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the former political wing of M23, which has since been dissolved.

An uncertain political climate

The announcement comes at a time of political uncertainty in the DRC. President Felix Tshisekedi, 63, who succeeded Kabila, will complete his second and final five-year term in 2028. The constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms. Even so, the presidential majority has for several months been preparing public opinion for a possible amendment of the text.

Failed peace efforts

Eastern DRC has suffered violence for more than 30 years, and several mediation attempts have so far failed. An agreement signed in December by Kinshasa (the Congolese capital) and Kigali (the Rwandan capital) under US auspices has had no tangible effect on the ground. In July 2025, Kinshasa and M23 also committed to a ceasefire within a Qatar-mediated process, but it is not being observed.