The former President, who was sentenced to death, became the leader of the rebels!

In the founding declaration read by FRN's representative Claude Ibalanky at the press conference held in Goma, the capital of North-Kivu province, it was announced that Joseph Kabila was unanimously elected president.

The statement stated that with the signing of the founding document, M23 and its political arm, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), ceased to exist and were replaced by the FRN.

The declaration stated that the new formation aims to bring together the resistance forces against the administration and coordinate their activities, and that it aims to respond to the current administration by using force when necessary and to re-establish the institutional foundations of the republic.

The statement argued that the crisis in the country is not just about disagreements between political leaders or security problems, and emphasized that the crisis has political, economic, security, institutional, social and humanitarian dimensions.

In the statement, it was noted that AFC/M23 executives Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki and Sultani Makenga will serve as Kabila's deputies.

Joseph Kabila became president at the age of 29 after his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, was assassinated in 2001.

Kabila, who won elections for two consecutive terms, remained in power for another 2 years by postponing the elections for security reasons, although his term ended in 2016.

Kabila, who handed over the task to current President Felix Tshisekedi in December 2018, settled in South Africa in 2023 due to political exile.

Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia by the DRC Supreme Military Court on September 30, 2025, for supporting rebel groups in the east of the country and treason.

The court decision stated that Kabila visited rebel training camps, held military meetings and led armed groups in the North and South Kivu provinces.

In the KDC, M23 members took control of many regions, especially Goma, the capital of North-Kivu province, as a result of their ongoing attacks since the beginning of 2025.

More than 1 million people have been displaced and at least 7 thousand people have died since 2025 due to conflicts in the east of the KDC.

M23 members last took control of the city of Uvira at the beginning of December 2025, and due to the conflicts, more than 500 thousand people were displaced and at least 1500 civilians lost their lives.