The March 23 Movement (M23), operating under the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23), has once again vowed to continue what it calls a ‘liberation war” until it overthrows the government in Kinshasa, claiming its objective is to “free the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
The declaration was made during a pass-out ceremony for 1,518 new commandos of the Armed Forces of the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), the armed wing of AFC/M23, presided over by ARC Chief of Staff and AFC/M23 military coordinator, Major General Sultani Makenga.
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The ceremony took place on Monday, March 2, at Rumangabo in North Kivu, a region long marked by insecurity and armed conflict.
In his address, Major General Makenga urged the new recruits to serve and protect civilian populations, describing them as guardians of Congolese dignity after receiving training had shaped them “both physically and morally.”
“Being fully operational means more than mastering combat. It means embracing the moral responsibility that comes with bearing arms,” Makenga told new commandos. “Defending a territory is defending dignity, protecting a population is preserving hope in a country where the Kinshasa regime continues to tear lives apart and shatter futures. This oath of protection takes on a near-sacred gravity.”
M23 assured supporters that its advances would continue until stability and security are restored across the country, reiterating its commitment to removing President Félix Tshisekedi, who has been in power since 2019.
“Soon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be freed: freed from bad governance, from abyssal impunity, from systematic embezzlement, from corrosive tribalism, from endemic incompetence, from chronic insecurity, and from institutionalized tyranny,” read a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter).
“The criminal regime of Kinshasa must hear this clearly: if not in the morning, it will be in the evening that Tshilombo and his henchmen will be ejected, so that the Republic may finally reclaim its immaculate dignity.”
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Despite escalating clashes between the rebel group and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), alongside allied forces in North Kivu, AFC/M23 maintains that hope for “liberation and dignity” now lives in areas long affected by conflict.
“The struggle continues until total liberation, so that the Democratic Republic of the Congo may finally reclaim its full dignity,” it added.
The integration of the new commandos comes after AFC/M23 confirmed the death of its senior military spokesperson, Colonel Willy Ngoma, reportedly killed in Rubaya, Masisi Territory, during heavy clashes with government forces as a result of drone strikes.
According to the group, ongoing military attacks by Kinshasa regime in North Kivu and South Kivu “deliberately violate the ceasefire and amount to a full-scale war against AFC/M23.”
FARDC and M23 continue to accuse each other of breaching ceasefire agreements over the past weeks, as various peace initiatives — including talks held in Doha — remain strained.
