Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, the coordinator of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), has dismissed fresh United Nations sanctions against him, insisting they will not deter what he describes as his movement’s “existential struggle” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nangaa made the remarks on Saturday while launching a large-scale tree-planting and reforestation campaign in Goma, North Kivu Province, an area currently under the control of the AFC/M23 coalition.
The environmental campaign, according to the movement, aims to restore vegetation cover, preserve ecosystems and mitigate the effects of climate change. His comments came days after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on him over his alleged role in fuelling the armed insurgency in eastern DRC. Nangaa, who served as chairperson of the DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) from 2015 to 2021 and oversaw the disputed 2018 presidential election, was designated alongside several leaders of armed groups operating in eastern Congo.
Those sanctioned include John Imani Nzenze, the M23’s chief of intelligence; Sébastien Uwimbabazi of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR); Muhammed Lumisa of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF); Charles Sematama of the Twirwaneho armed group; and Gustave Kubwayo of the FDLR-FOCA. Addressing supporters after the launch of the reforestation campaign, Nangaa dismissed the sanctions and asset freezes imposed by the UN Security Council, the United States and the European Union as politically motivated.
He said the measures were intended to intimidate him and weaken the AFC/M23 campaign but insisted they did not affect his resolve. Nangaa vowed to continue pursuing what he described as an existential struggle despite increasing international pressure. His remarks came on the same day that Benjamin Mbonimpa, the Executive Secretary of the AFC/M23 alliance, addressed residents in Lubero Territory, North Kivu Province.
Mbonimpa said the movement had no intention of withdrawing from areas under its control and would continue protecting what it described as the peace it had restored in those territories. The conflict between the M23 rebel movement, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and military commander Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, and the Congolese government intensified in March 2022. Since then, the rebels have seized and continue to control large parts of North Kivu Province.
In August 2024, M23 formally allied with Nangaa’s Alliance Fleuve Congo, expanding the rebellion’s political and military structure. The Congolese government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, allegations that have been denied by both the Rwandan government and the rebel movement. The AFC/M23 maintains that its armed campaign seeks to address corruption, discrimination and xenophobia within the Congolese state-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
