The Congolese president alleges that mounting international pressure on Rwanda pushed Paul Kagame to bring Joseph Kabila into the open, giving the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion a Congolese political face. His accusation follows US sanctions against the Rwandan army and Kabila himself, and the former president's new leadership role in the FRN.
KINSHASA — October 27, 2026 — President Félix Tshisekedi has accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of turning to former Congolese president Joseph Kabila as international sanctions intensified, arguing that Kigali wanted to recast its involvement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as an internal Congolese political conflict.
Addressing lawmakers from his ruling Union sacrée de la nation coalition at a meeting on October 24, Tshisekedi said Kabila had been operating behind the scenes before assuming a public leadership role in the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a political-military movement incorporating the leadership and structures of the AFC/M23 rebellion.
The president's explanation was blunt: pressure from sanctions and diplomacy had, in his view, narrowed Kagame's options, prompting him to call on a Congolese ally who had remained out of the spotlight.
The phrase “pull Kabila from his cave” captures the sharp metaphor of Tshisekedi's accusation. His actual French expressions were “tapi dans l'ombre” and “sortir du bois”—meaning “lurking in the shadows” and “coming out of hiding.”
Tshisekedi Says Kabila Was Brought Forward to Reframe the War
Tshisekedi alleged that international pressure had placed Rwanda's government in an increasingly difficult position, especially as foreign governments scrutinized its role in eastern Congo and the exploitation of Congolese mineral resources.
According to the president, Kagame then asked his “supplétif”—a term meaning a proxy or auxiliary—to emerge from the shadows and assume the leadership of the campaign against Kinshasa.
The purpose, Tshisekedi claimed, was to give the conflict a Congolese appearance and persuade outsiders to see it as a confrontation among Congolese political actors rather than a war involving Rwanda.
In his speech, Tshisekedi said the move was designed to “faire passer cela comme un problème congolo-congolais”—to present it as a “Congolese-versus-Congolese problem.”
WAR IN DR CONGO
Tshisekedi: Sanctions Forced Kagame to Pull Kabila From His Cave
Oct 27, 2026
Oct 27, 2026
8 min read
Published
Updated:
The Congolese president alleges that mounting international pressure on Rwanda pushed Paul Kagame to bring Joseph Kabila into the open, giving the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion a Congolese political face. His accusation follows US sanctions against the Rwandan army and Kabila himself, and the former president's new leadership role in the FRN.
KINSHASA — October 27, 2026 — President Félix Tshisekedi has accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of turning to former Congolese president Joseph Kabila as international sanctions intensified, arguing that Kigali wanted to recast its involvement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as an internal Congolese political conflict.
Addressing lawmakers from his ruling Union sacrée de la nation coalition at a meeting on October 24, Tshisekedi said Kabila had been operating behind the scenes before assuming a public leadership role in the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a political-military movement incorporating the leadership and structures of the AFC/M23 rebellion.
The president's explanation was blunt: pressure from sanctions and diplomacy had, in his view, narrowed Kagame's options, prompting him to call on a Congolese ally who had remained out of the spotlight.
The phrase “pull Kabila from his cave” captures the sharp metaphor of Tshisekedi's accusation. His actual French expressions were “tapi dans l'ombre” and “sortir du bois”—meaning “lurking in the shadows” and “coming out of hiding.”
Tshisekedi Says Kabila Was Brought Forward to Reframe the War
Tshisekedi alleged that international pressure had placed Rwanda's government in an increasingly difficult position, especially as foreign governments scrutinized its role in eastern Congo and the exploitation of Congolese mineral resources.
According to the president, Kagame then asked his “supplétif”—a term meaning a proxy or auxiliary—to emerge from the shadows and assume the leadership of the campaign against Kinshasa.
The purpose, Tshisekedi claimed, was to give the conflict a Congolese appearance and persuade outsiders to see it as a confrontation among Congolese political actors rather than a war involving Rwanda.
In his speech, Tshisekedi said the move was designed to “faire passer cela comme un problème congolo-congolais”—to present it as a “Congolese-versus-Congolese problem.”
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This is the president's account of Kagame's alleged intentions. Although independent investigations and US sanctions establish substantial evidence of Rwandan military support for M23, they do not by themselves prove that Kagame personally instructed Kabila to take over the FRN because of sanctions.
Kabila's October 12 Move Changed the Political Landscape
The announcement that triggered Tshisekedi's latest remarks came on October 12, 2026, when Kabila assumed leadership of the FRN in rebel-held Goma.
According to Radio Okapi, the new movement succeeded the AFC political coalition and placed prominent rebel figures in senior positions. Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa were appointed vice presidents, while Sultani Makenga was assigned a leading military role.
The FRN openly set out to challenge Tshisekedi's government. Actualité.cd reported that its founding declaration envisaged opposing the government “by all means, including force.”
Reuters reported that the former president had previously denied involvement with AFC/M23, and that his decision marked a more direct public role in the rebellion. Kabila's side has described its political project as a response to what it calls poor governance and authoritarianism under Tshisekedi.
The new alliance therefore represents a publicly documented political shift, regardless of the disputed question of who directed it or why it happened at this particular moment.
The Sanctions That Give Tshisekedi's Argument Its Context
The president's claim comes against a documented series of US punitive measures concerning the eastern Congo conflict.
On March 2, 2026, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force and four senior military officials. Treasury stated that Rwandan forces were supporting, training and fighting alongside M23, and that the movement's territorial advances—including the capture of Goma and Bukavu—would not have been possible without such assistance.
Then, on April 30, the US Treasury imposed sanctions directly on Joseph Kabila, accusing the former president of supporting M23 and the AFC coalition. The announcement said the armed movements were destabilizing eastern DRC and seeking to remove the government in Kinshasa.
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These actions matter because they put formal US government findings and financial restrictions behind allegations of support for the insurgency. They also show that Washington's measures targeted both the Rwandan military and Kabila months before he publicly assumed the leadership of the FRN.
But sanctions alone do not establish Tshisekedi's broader economic argument that Rwanda's economy was being suffocated or that Kagame personally selected Kabila as a response. Those remain claims made by the Congolese president rather than independently measured conclusions.
Rwanda rejected the March sanctions as unfair and one-sided. In its official March 2 statement, Kigali accused Kinshasa of failing to meet its commitments concerning the FDLR armed group and maintained that Rwanda was committed to the peace process.
UN Findings Add Weight to Scrutiny of Rwanda's Role
Tshisekedi's political accusation is unfolding alongside extensive international documentation of the conflict.
The UN Group of Experts' 2025 report described joint operations by AFC/M23 and Rwanda Defence Force personnel and their capture of strategic areas in North and South Kivu. Investigators reported that Rwandan troops were involved in combat and provided security for AFC/M23 leadership.
More recently, reporting on the 2026 UN Group of Experts findings described discussions of an internal restructuring of AFC/M23, including a potential leadership role for Kabila. when the FRN was announced.
Tshisekedi Says Intelligence Informed His Earlier Suspicions
In the same address, Tshisekedi insisted that his suspicions concerning Kabila did not originate with the October announcement.
He said Congolese intelligence services and information shared by partner countries had informed his view of the former president's involvement. He also pointed to changes in Kabila's travel habits, including what Tshisekedi described as an unannounced departure from the country after earlier trips had routinely been communicated to the presidency.
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The president said he was therefore not surprised when Kabila publicly emerged as leader of the FRN.
A Sharp Attack on Kabila's Legacy
Tshisekedi went beyond the question of strategy to criticize his predecessor's political judgment.
He questioned how someone who had governed the DRC for 18 years, from 2001 to 2019, could align with an armed movement opposing the institutions of the same country.
In one of the speech's strongest passages, Tshisekedi said Kabila's conduct was, “in my opinion,” evidence that he had never loved the country or its people. He contrasted armed rebellion with what he described as his own political tradition of nonviolent resistance during years in opposition.
Peace Talks Continue Under Growing Political Pressure
The confrontation is taking place while diplomatic efforts seek an end to fighting in eastern Congo.
The Washington peace framework requires commitments from both the DRC and Rwanda, including action against the FDLR and the withdrawal of Rwandan forces and equipment from Congolese territory. The United States reiterated those expectations when it sanctioned commanders from both FDLR and M23 in June 2026.
Meanwhile, the Doha process remains a channel for negotiations involving the Congolese government and the rebel movement. Analysts have raised concerns that a new political-military structure under Kabila could complicate negotiations, as ACLED explained after the FRN announcement.
In his address to governing-coalition lawmakers, Tshisekedi said he wanted “real peace”: an end to violence, the destabilization of eastern Congo and the exploitation of its resources, along with security for civilian populations. He also called for political unity and wider public consultation as the country considers a national dialogue.
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