Trending 
Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has joined forces with the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group to lead a new political and military movement, as the group continues to control large parts of the country’s conflict-hit east
The alliance was announced at a joint press conference held at Kabila’s residence in Goma on Monday, a major eastern city captured by M23 in January 2025.
The partnership comes a year after Kabila, 55, was sentenced to death in absentia over alleged complicity with the group.
Kabila, who governed the country from 2001 to 2019, has also been accused by Congolese authorities of helping establish the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the now-dissolved political wing of M23.
The new partnership emerges as uncertainty grows over the country’s political future. President Felix Tshisekedi, 63, who succeeded Kabila, is due to complete his second and final five-year term in 2028 under the constitution, which limits presidents to two terms.
However, Tshisekedi’s political majority has spent recent months preparing public opinion for a possible constitutional amendment that could alter the existing provisions.
Read More : Kigali Hosts Africa’s Growth Conversation
Eastern DR Congo has endured decades of conflict, with repeated mediation efforts failing to bring lasting peace.
A December agreement between the governments in Kinshasa and Kigali, brokered with United States involvement, has yet to produce a significant improvement on the ground.
In July 2025, the Congolese government and M23 also committed to a ceasefire under a separate process mediated by Qatar, but the truce has not been upheld.
