Name? Joseph Kabila
Westphalian identity? Congolese
Age? 55
Why is he in the news? On 12 October, former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila was named the leader of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN). The FRN is a politico-military movement which includes the Rwanda-backed M23 group. It launched in Goma, near the Rwandan border. Following the announcement, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which has played an active role in the conflict in eastern DRC, was dissolved into the FRN.
Why do we care? During his term as the fourth president of the DRC from 2001 to 2019, Kabila led efforts to end the Second Congo War, signing the 2002 Pretoria Accord. The Accord established peace between the DRC and Rwanda, under which Rwanda agreed to withdraw its troops in exchange for the disarmament of Hutu militias in the DRC. Kabila now leads a movement allied with the M23, which Paul Kagame’s Rwanda is accused of backing: the same country he once made peace with. The conflict has already displaced millions.
Why should you care? The FRN has said it intends to fight the government “by all means, including force,” raising the stakes for a conflict that could draw in the wider region. Eastern DRC already holds an estimated 30,000 M23 troops and 14,000 to 18,000 Rwandan military personnel. UN Security Council investigations have found evidence of Ugandan support for the M23, and Burundi had 18,000 troops in the region as of late 2025.
Who else cares? DRC President Félix Tshisekedi is now facing his predecessor as the head of an armed movement, escalating a confrontation in which a military court has already sentenced Kabila to death over war crimes and treason.
Any further comments? Kabila took power after his father’s assassination in 2001, won elections in 2006 and 2011, then delayed the 2016 vote amid deadly protests before Tshisekedi won in 2018.
