Two generals and 600 soldiers join Kabila in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on KT Press
Two generals and more than 600 soldiers from the DR Congo armed forces have reportedly joined the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, a rebel coalition led by former president Joseph Kabila. The defections, including those of François Kamanzi and Germain Katanga, strengthen the movement's military wing around Goma, according to KT Press.
Two brigadier generals and more than 600 soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) have reportedly joined the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), the political and military coalition led by former president Joseph Kabila. The defections notably include generals François Kamanzi and Germain Katanga, reports KT Press.
The FRN's spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, announced on 27 October the arrival of François Kamanzi in the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), the movement's military wing. Germain Katanga reportedly joined the FRN on 29 or 30 October and arrived in Goma. Other officers named are Colonel Dem Umba Ndolo Ghislain and Lieutenant Lemba Lula Arnold, a member of the Republican Guard.
According to reports by regional media cited by KT Press, 635 FARDC soldiers crossed the FRN's line of control on 28 October through Nzibira, in South Kivu. They were reportedly accompanied by seven officers, including four colonels, two lieutenant-colonels and a captain. These figures have not been independently verified.
These defections come after the launch of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation in Goma on 12 October. The coalition notably brings together officials from the former Congo River Alliance and the M23, with Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa as vice-presidents and Major General Sultani Makenga as chief of staff of its military wing.
