Congo River Alliance

Last updated
AbbreviationAFC
Named after Congo River
FormationDecember 15, 2023;13 months ago (2023-12-15)
Merger of17 political parties, two political groupings, and several armed groups
armed groups
political parties
Typepolitical-military coalition
Region served
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Leader Corneille Nangaa
Website https://alliancefleuvecongo.org/

The Congo River Alliance (French : Alliance Fleuve Congo) is a political-military coalition of rebel groups and political parties led by former Independent National Electoral Commission President Corneille Nangaa that seeks to overthrow the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The principal member of Congo River Alliance is the U.S. and UN sanctioned March 23 Movement, a Rwanda-backed rebel group. [3]

Contents

Background

Nangaa in February 2023 CORNEILLE NANGAA.jpg
Nangaa in February 2023

Corneille Nangaa, the future leader of the group, previously served as the director of the DRC's Independent National Electoral Commission from 2015 to 2021. In that role, he oversaw elections in the country and certified Félix Tshisekedi as the winner of the disputed 2018 presidential election, despite numerous reports that Tshisekedi's main rival, Martin Fayulu, had won. [2]

In February 2023, he announced the formation of a new political party, the Action for the Dignity of Congo and its People (ADCP), with a platform focused on transforming the DRC into a "business land." He planned to run candidates at all levels for the upcoming 2023 general election, [4] including running for the presidency himself. He later engaged in a public dispute with Tshisekedi over the alleged backroom deals linked to the 2018 vote, and in August 2023, exiled himself from the country, believing his security was no longer guaranteed there. [2] [5]

History

On 15 December 2023, a few days before the 2023 elections, Nangaa signed an agreement in Nairobi, Kenya with M23 and nine other armed groups, forming a new political-military alliance at achieving "national unity and stability" in the DRC. Nangaa criticized the inability of the government to maintain authority, promising to restore stability and create a more suitable economic environment. Nangaa also denounced the "plundering of public property" and "misappropriation of funds". [6] [7]

M23 called the new alliance a platform for peace, while the ruling party called it a "kind of a rebellion". The Kenyan government distanced itself from Nangaa's actions but rejected the DRC's request to arrest the opposition figures on the basis of freedom of speech. Nangaa later announced that his platform comprised 17 political parties, two political groupings, and several armed groups. [6] [7]

On July 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the Congo River Alliance. [3]

On August 6, 2024, President Félix Tshisekedi accused former President Joseph Kabila of backing the Congo River Alliance. [8]

On August 8, 2024, a DRC military court tried and sentenced Nangaa in absentia to the death penalty for war crimes, participation in an insurrection, and treason. [9]

On November 30, 2024, the group rejected a ceasefire that was mediated by Angola under the African Union's mandate, accusing the Kinshasa government of violating the truce. [10]

On January 25, 2025, the group called on "all members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) present in Goma and its surroundings to lay down their weapons within 48 hours". One of its members, M23, recently captured Sake, a strategic town 27 kilometres from Goma, suggesting that the group might move imminently to capture the city. [11]

After two days of fighting, on January 27, 2025, M23 claimed to have captured Goma. In an interview before the offensive on the city, Nangaa said, "Our objective is neither Goma nor Bukavu but Kinshasa, the source of all the problems." [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "RDC: Corneille Nangaa se radicalise davantage et noue une alliance avec le M23". Actualite.cd (in French). 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  2. 1 2 3 Rolley, Sonia; Lewis, David (2025-01-27). "Congo's ex-election chief turned rebel boss builds insurgency". Reuters.
  3. 1 2 PD-icon.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "Treasury Sanctions Rebel Alliance Driving Instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo". United States Department of the Treasury . Washington. July 25, 2024. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  4. ↑ "RDC : Corneille Nangaa présente son parti politique « Action pour la Dignité du Congo et de son Peuple »". Radio Okapi (in French). 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  5. ↑ "Corneille Nangaa en exil : « Ma sécurité n'était plus garantie au pays »". Radio Okapi (in French). 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  6. 1 2 "DRC: Corneille Nangaa joins forces with M23 to create political platform". Africanews. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  7. 1 2 "Kenya Distances Itself from Controversial DRC Opposition Figure". Voice of America. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  8. ↑ Banchereau, Mark (August 7, 2024). "Congo's president accuses former leader of backing a US-sanctioned rebel coalition". Associated Press . Dakar, Senegal. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Congolese military court hands down death sentence to leader of rebel coalition and 25 others". AP News. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  10. ↑ Nakato, Catherine (2024-12-01). "M23 rebels reject Angola-mediated ceasefire". Nilepost News. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  11. ↑ "Democratic Republic of the Congo: Briefing". Security Council Report. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  12. ↑ "Rwandan-backed rebels enter Congo's Goma in major escalation". Reuters . 27 January 2025.
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