Overview
- Kabila publicly announced the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN) on Monday in Goma, saying he will head the new politico-military coalition.
- The FRN named four deputy leaders drawn from the M23/AFC ranks — Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki and Sultani Makenga — who were presented at the launch.
- Coalition advisers said the FRN’s mission is to "unite and coordinate all resistance forces" and that it may act "by any means necessary, including the use of force."
- Kabila’s move comes against a backdrop of a 2025 visit to rebel-held Goma, a military court death sentence in absentia and U.S. sanctions for alleged support to eastern armed groups.
- Analysts say the FRN will complicate the Doha talks between Kinshasa and the rebels, raise regional tensions over alleged Rwandan backing of M23, and increase the risk of more fighting and civilian displacement in North Kivu.