Ex-president named leader of new DR Congo rebel coalition

Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has been named the leader of a new rebel coalition seeking to oust the government.

The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) said it aimed to coordinate "resistance forces" to end "tyranny" in Democratic Republic of Congo and would pursue the goal "by all means, including force".

Its unveiling on Monday is the clearest indication so far of Kabila's direct involvement in an armed movement a year after he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason. He had previously denied having links to the M23 rebel group.

The Congolese government has not commented.

Claude Ibalanky, the coalition's adviser, announced the group's leadership at a press conference at Kabila's residence in Goma, the largest city in eastern DR Congo, which has been under the control of the M23 since last year.

Video released by the group showed Kabila signing documents at the group's declaration along with other leaders.

M23 leader Sultani Makenga will serve as one of Kabila's four deputies in the new movement. The other three also come from the AFC-M23 alliance which last year seized much of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo.

The announcement of the new group comes days after Kabila delivered an address in which he said he would set out how Congolese people should act to "rescue" their country.

On Friday, Kabila accused President Félix Tshisekedi's government of disregarding proposals he had put forward last year, including some aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Kabila also accused the government of undermining constitutional rule, mismanaging the economy and failing to improve security. He further alleged arbitrary arrests of political opponents and military officers.

The government has not publicly responded to those claims.

Kabila, 55, ruled DR Congo from 2001 until January 2019, when Tshisekedi took office following a disputed election.

The two were once political allies, forming an informal power-sharing arrangement after the transfer of power. They later fell out and Kabila went into self-imposed exile in 2023 before returning to Goma last year.

The former president had remained largely out of public view for several years but has become increasingly critical of his successor's administration.

The formation of the new coalition comes at an uncertain time in a country that has been wracked by violence for decades.

More than 100 militia groups are active in eastern DR Congo amid ethnic tensions and fighting for political power and control of lucrative natural resources.

The UN and Western governments accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 and controlling the rebels.

Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence, and says its military presence in eastern DR Congo is a defensive measure against threats posed by Congolese armed groups.

Tshisekedi's second term ends in 2028 but in May he said that elections, which are due then, may not be held because of the conflict.

He also hinted that he may seek re-election for a third term "if the people want".

The parliament has since passed a bill that could pave the way for a referendum that could remove the constitution's two-term limit.

Last month, authorities clashed with protesters holding demonstrations in the capital against the proposed changes.

Richard Moncrieff, who monitors Africa's Great Lakes region for the International Crisis Group (ICG) says the new coalition is aimed at trying to enlarge the rebellion.

He argues that through his "higher profile", Kabila hopes to get support from people dissatisfied with Tshisekedi "beyond the very narrow political base that the M23 enjoys".

The analyst says this appears to be Kabila's objective, to draw more senior Congolese army officers to his side and "lessen the reliance of the M23 on its Rwandan backers".

Kabila came to power after the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila, who headed a national rebellion in the 1990s, backed by Rwanda. His forces marched across the country, starting in the east, before taking over in the capital Kinshasa, some 1,500km (1,000 miles) away.

Moncrieff says Kabila is drawing on that past to proclaim the illegitimacy of Tshisekedi's government.

He however says it won't be easy to seize power like his father, partly because the US has imposed sanctions on Kabila, which he says presumes American support for DR Congo's government.

In May the US imposed sweeping sanctions on Kabila, accusing him of backing the M23, providing financial support, encouraging defections from the Congolese army. Kabila said the measures were unjustified and politically motivated.

The US said they were part of a wider effort to support last year's peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda that it brokered.

The latest events show peace negotiations are "going nowhere and attempting to gain control on the ground is the priority for all parties," the ICG analyst says.

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