Former Congolese president Joseph Kabila takes the lead of a rebel coalition

The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, led by Kabila, was announced on Monday in Goma, the eastern city held by M23 rebels since January last year. It replaces the AFC-M23 alliance and accuses President Félix Tshisekedi of tyranny.

Background

Kabila came to power in 2001 and handed over to Tshisekedi in 2019, the country's first peaceful transfer of power through elections. Last year, a military court sentenced him to death in his absence for treason and war crimes.

"Whatever our frustrations, our differences or our ambitions, nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify us taking up weapons against our own country."

— Vital Kamerhe, former speaker of the National Assembly

The new coalition says it will honour the commitments made in ceasefire talks in Doha, but it is unclear how its arrival will affect the US and Qatari peace efforts.