{"id":7196,"date":"2026-07-02T19:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T22:12:05","slug":"dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east","title":{"rendered":"DR Congo Rebels Seek Autonomy in the East"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>A United Nations expert team on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed in its latest report a comprehensive assessment of the capabilities of the Alliance of Forces for Peace\/23 March Movement, addressing its military strength, political goals, and growing ties with former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, as well as indications of a broad restructuring within the movement that may include a name change.<\/p>\n

The report states that the movement comprises approximately 30,000 fighters, including the historical core of the movement that emerged from the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) and the first 23 March uprising in 2012, along with recruits since 2021 from the diaspora and refugee camps in Rwanda, in addition to thousands of former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), police officers, and fighters from the “Wazalendo” militias, some of whom are believed to have been captured or joined the movement following the fall of Goma.<\/p>\n

The report highlights the continued Rwandan military presence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, estimating the number of Rwandan soldiers deployed in the region to be at least 14,000.<\/p>\n

According to the report, the number of Rwandan troops by the end of December 2025 ranged between 8,000 and 10,000 soldiers in South Kivu, and between 6,000 and 8,000 soldiers in North Kivu, confirming that the movements observed later represent troop rotations rather than withdrawals.<\/p>\n

The report clarifies that General Vincent Nyakarundi, Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army, who was sanctioned by the United States in March 2026, oversees military operations, while Generals Eugene Nkubito and Vincent Gatama command the forces deployed in North and South Kivu, supported by special forces led by General Stanislas Gashugi, with these leaders continuing to manage operations from within Rwanda.<\/p>\n

The report adds that former General James Kabarebe, defense advisor to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, coordinates at the highest levels with the 23 March Movement and former Congolese President Joseph Kabila.<\/p>\n

It notes that Rwandan authorities did not respond to inquiries from the United Nations directed to them in April until the report was prepared.<\/p>\n

Regarding violations, the report indicates that the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked second in documented violations during 2025, with a total of 789 cases, following the 23 March Movement. The report also documented arms deliveries to “Wazalendo” groups in violation of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations, alongside field cooperation with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a group under international sanctions that the Kinshasa government previously pledged to neutralize.<\/p>\n

The expert team confirmed that the movement is currently implementing an internal restructuring process closely linked to strengthening its relations with former President Joseph Kabila, who has reportedly been visiting areas under the movement’s control since May 2025 and regularly meeting with its leaders.<\/p>\n

On the political front, the report explains that the movement promotes the establishment of a “Federal Republic of Congo” and seeks to create its own army and independent military leadership, rather than integrating its fighters into the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, aiming to establish a region with autonomy in the eastern part of the country.<\/p>\n

The report notes that the High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had issued a default death sentence against former President Joseph Kabila in September 2025 after convicting him of high treason and incitement to rebellion.<\/p>\n

The report concludes by indicating that several sources have confirmed to the expert team that arrangements are underway for a comprehensive restructuring of the movement, including a review of its organizational structure, which may extend to a name change as part of a new political and military phase.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. A United Nations expert team on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed in its latest report a comprehensive assessment of the capabilities of the Alliance of Forces for Peace\/23 March Movement, addressing its military strength, political goals, and growing ties with former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, as well as indications of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":7194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-7196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nDR Congo Rebels Seek Autonomy in the East - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A United Nations expert team on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed in its latest report a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DR Congo Rebels Seek Autonomy in the East\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A United Nations expert team on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed in its latest report a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T19:38:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-11T22:12:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/07\/sm_1783807761.484323.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"973\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"539\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"DR Congo Rebels Seek Autonomy in the East\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T19:38:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-11T22:12:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\"},\"wordCount\":628,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/07\/sm_1783807761.484323.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-rebels-seek-autonomy-in-the-east\",\"name\":\"DR Congo Rebels Seek Autonomy in the East - 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