Former President Joseph Kabila launched the “National Rebuilding Front” (FRN) in Goma on October 12, 2026, personally leading a new political-military alliance that incorporates the M23 armed group, marking a dramatic escalation of the eastern Congo crisis.
Kabila delivered a televised address to the nation days before the announcement, accusing President Tshisekedi’s government of “dictatorship,” mismanagement, and failure in eastern military operations. The FRN declared its goal as “uniting all resistance forces to end tyranny by all means, including force,” invoking Article 64 of the Constitution to justify “resistance against unconstitutional power”.
The organizational structure places Kabila as President, with Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa as Vice Presidents, and M23 military commander Sultani Makenga as Chief of General Staff of the armed forces, holding Vice Presidential rank.
This move comes as Kabila faces a death sentence in absentia issued by a military court in September 2025 on charges of treason and crimes against humanity over alleged support for M23, which he denies as politically motivated. The formation of FRN directly impacts ongoing peace processes in Doha and Washington, with analysts warning that integrating AFC/M23 leadership into a new framework will make negotiations “extremely difficult”.
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