Former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president Joseph Kabila, now an opposition figure under a death sentence for treason, has taken the helm of a new political-military movement including the anti-government armed group M23, they announced on Monday.

"A political-military movement, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), is created," and "Joseph Kabila becomes president," said an official from the political branch of the armed group during a joint press conference held in the presence of the former head of state (2001-2019), at the latter's residence in Goma, a major city in eastern Congo controlled by the M23.

Joseph Kabila, 55, was sentenced to death in absentia in late September 2025 for "treason" and "war crimes." The Congolese military court had ruled that Mr. Kabila was one of the initiators of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the political wing of the M23 movement, which was dissolved with the creation of the FRN.

The announcement of a union between Joseph Kabila and the M23 comes in an uncertain political context in the DRC.

President Félix Tshisekedi, 63, successor to Joseph Kabila, will reach the end of his second and final five-year term in 2028.

The Congolese Constitution sets the limit at two five-year terms. However, the presidential majority has been preparing public opinion for several months for the idea of amending the text, paving the way for a third term for Mr. Tshisekedi.

The opposition, which accuses the president of maneuvering to remain in power, organized rallies in June and September.

The United Nations reported "at least one death" during the first demonstration in the capital Kinshasa, and the opposition denounced the "assassination" of an opponent during the second.

Eastern DRC has been plagued by violence for over 30 years. Several mediation attempts have failed so far. Supported by Rwanda and its army, the M23 controls vast swathes of territory in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

A spectacular offensive in early 2025 resulted in the capture of the two major cities in the region, Goma and Bukavu, from overwhelmed and fleeing Congolese armed forces.

An agreement signed in December by Kinshasa and Kigali, under the auspices of Washington, has not had any concrete effect on the ground.

Meanwhile, in July 2025, Kinshasa and the M23 committed, within the framework of Qatari mediation, to a ceasefire which is however not being respected.