DR Congo Accuses Ex-President Of Planning ‘General Attack’

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has accused former president Joseph Kabila of planning a “general attack” after he joined forces with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya made the accusation on Friday, telling AFP that Kabila had decided to formalise his attack against the country.

“Kabila has decided to formalise his widespread attack against the Republic,” Muyaya said. He added that taking up arms meant “killing Congolese in order to try to conquer territories.”

Muyaya also accused Kabila and his allies of trying to rebrand their movement while keeping the same goals and methods.

“They want to launch a movement to give themselves a new face, but in reality the intentions, the macabre plans, the modus operandi are known,” he said.

“The players remain the same, the nature of the movement remains the same,” Muyaya added.

Kabila joined forces with M23 on Monday to lead a new group called the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN). The group was presented as a “politico-military” outfit that plans to combine its “strengths, resources and means” to end what it called tyranny, including through the use of force.

Kabila will lead the group, while M23 leaders will serve as his deputies. The move marks a more direct role for the former president in the armed insurgency in eastern DR Congo. He ruled the country from 2001 to 2019. A year ago, a court sentenced him to death in absentia for “complicity” with M23.

Congolese authorities have also accused him of helping establish the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the now-dissolved political wing of M23. Kabila has denied the allegations. After spending several years outside the country, Kabila returned to the political scene in May 2025. He appeared in Goma, a major eastern city now under M23 control, and has since made regular visits to rebel-held areas.

In early 2025, an offensive led by M23 and the Rwandan army captured Goma and Bukavu in eastern DR Congo. Although the front line has since stabilised, fighting continues, sometimes involving drone strikes and heavy artillery, particularly in South Kivu province.

Kabila’s alliance with M23 comes following wider political tensions in the country. Opposition rallies in June and September protested a proposed constitutional amendment that critics fear could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term. Tshisekedi, succeeded Kabila and is due to complete his second and constitutionally final five-year term in 2028.

The main opposition coalition has so far kept its distance from Kabila, despite his renewed political activity. However, Kabila has expressed support for the opposition. In a speech posted online on Friday, he criticised the government, saying it was “motivated solely by its own perpetuation in power.”