{"id":2000104125,"date":"2026-03-04T12:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000104125"},"modified":"2026-03-04T12:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:25:31","slug":"afc-m23-enrolls-over-1500-special-force-recruits-reaffirms-goal-to-oust-tshisekedi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/afc-m23-enrolls-over-1500-special-force-recruits-reaffirms-goal-to-oust-tshisekedi\/","title":{"rendered":"AFC\/M23 enrolls over 1,500 special force recruits, reaffirms goal to oust Tshisekedi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The passout ceremony marking the completion of military training for the recruits was held in Lumangabo on March 2, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the new fighters, AFC\/M23 military commander Maj Gen Sultani Makenga sharply criticized the Kinshasa administration, accusing it of misrule and fueling insecurity across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He alleged that President Tshisekedi has weakened state institutions and allowed armed groups and irregular forces to operate with impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj Gen Makenga claimed that the movement\u2019s objective is to \u201cliberate the country\u201d and end what he described as targeted violence against civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He accused the government of arming militias and incorporating foreign fighters, including elements linked to the FDLR terrorist group, into the national army. He further alleged that such actions had contributed to ethnic tensions and civilian suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Maj Gen Makenga, large numbers of Congolese refugees fled to neighboring countries due to violence attributed to FARDC troops and allied groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is why our movement decided to rise and bring an end to these problems,\u201d he told the recruits. \u201cBy joining this force, you must be ready to liberate Congo and protect its people. You must demonstrate discipline and prove that you are different from what the population experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged former FARDC soldiers now integrated into AFC\/M23 to uphold strict ethical standards and avoid misconduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWherever you pass, civilians should see a difference. They must see protectors, not looters,\u201d he said. \u201cOur people have endured years of suffering; displacement, killings, and exile. It is your responsibility to help end that hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj Gen Makenga reiterated that the coalition seeks what it describes as a reformed and inclusive state, and called on the fighters to remain committed to that objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the ceremony, the recruits responded affirmatively when asked whether they were prepared to remove the current leadership in Kinshasa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has faced prolonged conflict involving FARDC, Wazalendo local militias, fighters linked to the FDLR, Burundian troops, foreign mercenaries, and AFC\/M23 forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coalition maintains that its struggle is aimed at defending communities it says have faced discrimination and violence, while pursuing political change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The new special force recruits include former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The AFC\/M23 rebel coalition has enrolled over 1,500 special force recruits including former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), as it intensifies its campaign against the government of President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000104126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,99],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000104125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-greatlakesnews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000104126,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","alt":"","caption":"The new special force recruits include former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). ","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":751,"height":301,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","width":150,"height":60},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","width":300,"height":120},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","width":751,"height":301},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","width":751,"height":301},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/m23-51-d296e.jpg","width":751,"height":301}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000104125"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000104129,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104125\/revisions\/2000104129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000104126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000104125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000104125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000104125"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000104125"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000104125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}