Exiled DRC opposition figure announces alliance with M23 rebels

A Congolese opposition figure living in exile has announced the creation of a political-military alliance with M23 rebels and other armed groups, spurring the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] government to warn Kenya of "consequences" for hosting him.

Corneille Nangaa, ex-head of DRC's electoral commission, made the announcement in Nairobi on Friday. Standing alongside him in a hotel in the Kenyan capital was M23 "president" Bertrand Bisimwa.

The political and security climate in DRC is extremely tense in the run-up to the December 20 elections.

After several years of dormancy, the M23 ["March 23 Movement"] rebels took up arms again in late 2021 and seized vast swathes of the eastern province of North Kivu.

Western governments and the United Nations have said neighbouring Rwanda has supported the M23, allegations Kigali denies.

The rebels' actions caused more than a million people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Nangaa, who was president of the electoral commission for the DRC's 2018 polls, called for "the union of all political, social and military forces" to "rebuild the state" and "restore peace" in the impoverished, conflict-torn central African nation.

He said at least nine armed groups, including the M23, had already joined him in his "Congo River Alliance" project for "national unity and stability".

He justified its creation as a response to the "weakness" of the Congolese state over three decades and its "inability to restore authority... throughout the country".

'Subversive activities'

Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya demanded an explanation from Kenya for hosting "subversive activities", calling the announcement "unpatriotic" and saying Nangaa "should be ashamed".

"There will clearly be diplomatic consequences," Muyaya added.

Some seven million Congolese are currently displaced within their own country, mainly as a result of armed conflicts and insecurity, according to the International Organization for Migration [IOM].

In recent months, a series of clashes between Nangaa and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi have hit the headlines.

In an October interview with France 24, Nangaa claimed that during the 2018 vote, when he was in charge of the electoral process, a "power-sharing agreement" had been agreed between Tshisekedi and former president Joseph Kabila.

The deal was "validated and certified" by "the South African president, the former Kenyan president and the Egyptian president", he said.

Martin Fayulu, the unsuccessful candidate in the 2018 presidential election, claimed to have won with 61 percent of the vote and denounced an "electoral putsch" engineered by Kabila and Tshisekedi.

Tshisekedi, who is running for re-election next week, denies any "fraudulent arrangement" with his predecessor.

US announces truce extension

Meanwhile, the parties involved in eastern DRC conflict have agreed to a two-week extension of the ceasefire, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

The ceasefire extension began on Thursday and will continue through December 28, she said.

"The United States ... will continue to use US intelligence and diplomatic resources to monitor compliance to the ceasefire by armed forces and non-state armed groups," she said in a statement.

The statement said Washington commended all parties involved for their support for the extension of the ceasefire, emphasising its support for the resumption of the Nairobi and Luanda processes, "which seek to address the current and historic factors perpetuating this longstanding conflict."