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Joseph Kabila

Joseph Kabila

Former president of DR Congo; leader of the FRN

Appears in 3 stories

Born: June 4, 1971, Hewa Bora
Party: People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy
Education: Makerere University, Washington International University, PLA National Defence University
Previous offices: President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Last updated Nov 11, 2026

Stories

DR Congo sentences 66 soldiers to death for fleeing rebel fighting

Force in Play

Sentenced to death in absentia; leads the FRN

A military court in Walikale, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, sentenced 66 soldiers to death on 6 November for cowardice, mutiny and disobeying orders. The troops, from the 3415th Regiment, were arrested on 20 October in Ngora, accused of abandoning positions in Ntonto village during clashes with the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN). Four were acquitted and one sergeant got 10 years.

Updated 12 hours ago

Eastern Congo's cycle of rebel seizure, atrocity, and fragile peace talks

Force in Play

Leads the FRN, which is attempting to retake Uvira

Congolese authorities have now opened three mass graves in Uvira and counted more than 344 bodies, up from the 171 reported in two sites in February. A military prosecutor has identified about 110 grave sites across the Uvira area, most still unopened.

Updated Yesterday

Kabila takes helm of new coalition with M23 rebels in DR Congo

Force in Play

Heads the FRN coalition from Goma; faces death sentence in absentia; his party was banned by the government on October 16

Joseph Kabila, who led the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019, heads a political-military coalition that includes the M23 rebel group. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) was launched in Goma, the eastern city M23 has controlled since January 2025. Kabila is the FRN's president, and M23's Bertrand Bisimwa and former AFC leader Corneille Nangaa are vice presidents.

Updated Oct 26