Former Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila has officially launched a new political-military coalition alongside armed rebel groups operating in the country's turbulent eastern region. This controversial move has ignited widespread fears of a severe escalation in a long-standing conflict that has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of civilians.

Kabila unveiled the new movement, named the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), to replace the existing M23-AFC alliance, stating from his residence in Goma that the coalition would utilize any means necessary, including force, to achieve its objectives. A spokesperson for the newly formed group delivered remarks that were widely interpreted as a direct and ominous threat to the central authorities in Kinshasa.

The announcement coincided precisely with the one-year anniversary of a military court ruling in Kinshasa that sentenced Kabila to death over alleged treason and collaboration with the insurgency. Meanwhile, international organizations continue to report worsening humanitarian conditions, with millions facing acute food shortages and displacement across the mineral-rich eastern provinces.

Source: www.aljazeera.com