The March 23 Movement/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) has passed out more than 9,318 newly trained commandos, with the rebel group’s leaders declaring that the movement will continue its armed campaign until it achieves its political and military objectives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The fighters graduated on Monday from a training camp in the hills and forests of Tchanzu in Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu Province, an area controlled by the M23/AFC. Videos and photographs of the ceremony were released Tuesday night by the movement’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, showing the recruits undergoing military drills and tactical displays. According to Kanyuka, the recruits completed several months of intensive commando training and are ready for deployment.
“The graduation of these 9,318 commandos marks a significant step in strengthening the operational capacity of the M23/AFC,” Kanyuka said, adding that the new fighters had pledged to undertake any mission assigned to them. He claimed they would reinforce security and protect civilians in territories the movement describes as “liberated and stabilized.” Addressing the recruits, M23/AFC military commander Major General Sultani Emmanuel Makenga described the movement as a professional force and contrasted it with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).
Makenga said the rebel alliance, working alongside the Twirwaneho armed group, had defeated the FARDC and its allies in Minembwe, South Kivu Province. He instructed the graduates to remain disciplined and warned them against harassing civilians, committing rape, killing non-combatants or looting property. He told the fighters that their mission was to overthrow the government of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and restore peace in the country.
On Wednesday, M23 president Bertrand Bisimwa also confirmed the graduation in a statement, saying the newly trained fighters would defend territories under the movement’s control “with courage and determination” against what he described as attempts at dispossession, expulsion and deportation.
Bisimwa said the movement would continue fighting until what it describes as ethnic discrimination, persecution based on appearance, language, religion and political opinion, as well as xenophobia and other forms of hatred, are eliminated. He added that the group’s stated objective is to promote peaceful coexistence, justice, national development and improved governance, while calling on Congolese citizens to join what he termed a struggle for a more responsible system of governance.
The Congolese government had not issued an official response to the latest graduation by Wednesday. The latest pass-out follows a series of similar exercises that have highlighted the continued expansion of the rebel movement. In February 2026, the M23/AFC graduated 7,532 fighters after training at the same Tchanzu camp, while in September 2025 it passed out another 7,437 recruits from its training facility in Rumangabo, Rutshuru Territory.
A June 2026 report by the United Nations Group of Experts estimated that the AFC/M23 had about 30,000 combatants. The report said the force comprises the group’s core fighters, newly recruited members and former personnel from the Congolese army, police and local militias who have joined or been integrated into the movement. The conflict between the M23 rebels, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Major General Sultani Emmanuel Makenga, and the Congolese government intensified in March 2022. Since then, the rebels have captured and continue to control large parts of North Kivu Province.
In August 2024, the M23 formally allied with Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo’s Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), broadening the rebellion’s political and military structure. The Congolese government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, allegations consistently denied by both the Rwandan government and the rebel movement. The AFC/M23 maintains that its armed campaign seeks to end corruption, discrimination and xenophobia in the Democratic Republic of Congo-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
