DR Congo: Kabila’s move towards M23 raises questions over peace

Joseph Kabila's decision to lead a new political-military movement, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), puts the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in more direct confrontation with President Felix Tshisekedi's government . Kabila announced the FRN on October 12 in Goma, eastern DRC, at his residence, where leaders of the AFC/M23 rebel movements joined him. FRN coalition adviser, Claude Ibalanky, said the group would unite opposition forces, including figures associated with the AFC/M23 movement. The new structure succeeds the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which had been allied with the M23 rebellion. Its leadership includes former AFC leader Corneille Nangaa and M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa.