The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) rebellion has issued a stark warning to the Kinshasa government, threatening to “eliminate the threat at its source” if attacks against civilians continue in eastern DR Congo. The warning comes after the group’s recent withdrawal from Walikale, which they had captured on March 19, as part of what they call a goodwill gesture to support peace efforts.
Rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka took to social media platform X to clarify their position, stating that their forces had strategically repositioned around Walikale in line with their earlier announcement. However, he warned that any further provocations or attacks by government forces would result in immediate retaliation. “This gesture of goodwill will be automatically canceled if the Kinshasa regime continues its aggression,” Kanyuka declared.
The rebel group’s influence continues to grow despite Western sanctions against its leaders. In a significant development, former Sankuru province governor Joseph Stéphane Mukumadi recently joined AFC/M23, calling on fellow Congolese to rise up against what he described as the “dictatorship of the Kinshasa regime.” His defection follows that of Rex Kazadi, a candidate in DR Congo’s December 2023 presidential elections, who pledged allegiance to the rebellion from Europe on March 30.
AFC/M23, led by former Congolese electoral commission chairman Corneille Nangaa, has positioned itself as a movement fighting for governance reform, human rights protection, and an end to what it calls the root causes of conflict in eastern Congo. The group has vowed to combat tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and the influence of the FDLR – a Rwandan genocidal militia that Congo’s government has incorporated into its forces.
The security situation in eastern Congo has deteriorated significantly in recent months. After capturing the strategic city of Goma in January and the regional capital Bukavu on February 15, AFC/M23 forces took control of Walikale on March 19 – their farthest westward advance this year. The group has since allowed defeated South African-led SADC troops to withdraw with their weapons, while hundreds of Congolese soldiers have reportedly surrendered and joined the rebellion.
The current conflict traces its roots to the government’s failure to implement a 2009 peace agreement with the M23 movement, which has now evolved into the broader AFC/M23 coalition formed in December 2023. As the rebel group continues to gain territory and political defectors, the Kinshasa government faces mounting pressure to address the crisis through dialogue or risk further military setbacks in the volatile eastern region.
