02/02/2025
MEET CORNEILLE NANGAA YUBELUO, THE MAN LEADING THE M23 REBELS!
Former election-chief-turned-rebel-leader Corneille Nangaa has gone from overseeing Congo’s contested 2018 election to leading a powerful insurgency against the DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi.
Corneille Nangaa Yubeluo is a Congolese politician and rebel leader. Since 2023, he has been the head of the Congo River Alliance, a coalition of rebel groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that includes the March 23 Movement (M23)!
Nangaa was born on 9 July 1970 in Bagboya, Orientale Province (now Haut-Uele Province), Democratic Republic of the Congo, along the border with Sudan (now South Sudan).
He graduated from the University of Kinshasa with a degree in economics and worked as an Africa specialist at several international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme.
In 2015 he was appointed the president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) by then-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila. In this role, he oversaw elections in the DRC and declared Felix Tshisekedi as the winner of the contested December 2018 general election.
He later had a dispute with Tshisekedi over what happened in 2018, and in 2023 announced his opposition to the Tshisekedi government. Nangaa was replaced as the president of CENI in 202. He started a coalition of rebel groups in North Kivu and the eastern DRC known as the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), which includes the M23 movement.
He was sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for "undermining DRC elections" in March 2019, including for having delayed the general election for two years, since Kabila's constitutional mandated expired in 2016.
He later claimed, several months before the 2023 election, that while being the head of the Electoral Commission he orchestrated Tshisekedi's victory in 2018 because of a deal made between Tshisekedi and outgoing president Kabila, which Tshisekedi denies. At the same time, in August 2023, he announced the creation of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), or Congo River Alliance, at a meeting of rebel groups at the Kenyan capital Nairobi. It consisted of 17 political parties, two political groups, and several armed militias, the latter including the March 23 Movement. M23 is considered the military wing of the AFC.
In August 2024, a military court in Kinshasa sentenced Nangaa to death in absentia for treason, insurrection, and war crimes.
By early 2025, Nangaa and M23 had taken control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and were advancing towards Bukavu. In a press conference from Goma, he reiterated that Tshisekedi had never legitimately won the presidency and stated: “If I created the monster, I think it is up to me to defeat it.” He and his allies have made it clear that their ultimate objective is to seize power in Kinshasa.
The conflict has led to widespread violence, with more than 100 people killed and hundreds more injured. Hospitals in Goma are overwhelmed, and the city is grappling with water and electricity shortages.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have made little progress, and regional bodies like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are debating whether to withdraw their peacekeeping forces.
In August 2024, a military court in Kinshasa sentenced Nangaa, along with several M23 leaders, to death in absentia for treason, war crimes and insurrection. The US and EU imposed further sanctions on him and his coalition for “fueling instability” and attempting to overthrow the Congolese government.
Despite the sentence, Nangaa remains active on the battlefield. His alliance is expanding its influence beyond North Kivu, with reports suggesting he aims to extend operations to the mineral-rich southeast, particularly Katanga, where opposition to Tshisekedi is strong. His strategy appears to be not only military but also political and is seeking broader support beyond the Tutsi community, historically associated with M23.
As the CRA and M23 consolidate power in the east, the DRC’s government finds itself increasingly isolated. Calls for dialogue with M23 are growing within regional blocs, but Tshisekedi remains firm in refusing negotiations. Meanwhile, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has dismissed international criticism and warned South Africa – whose troops are deployed in the region – not to interfere.
With Kinshasa struggling to contain the rebellion and international actors divided on how to respond, the conflict shows no sign of ending soon.