DRC : AFC-M23 completes the training of 7,532 commandos amid protracted conflict in the east

SOS Médias Burundi

Goma, February 10, 2026 – On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the Congo River Alliance-M23 (AFC-M23), a rebel coalition active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), presented 7,532 new commandos who had completed their military training in Tchanzu (Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu). This ceremony marks a new stage in the structuring of the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), the armed wing of the movement led by General Sultani Makenga.

During the ceremony, General Makenga addressed the new soldiers to formalize their integration into the ARC :

“I have come to announce the completion of your training.” “From today onward, you are soldiers of the ARC, an army that has risen up to liberate the people. Our country is ruled by the fools living in Kinshasa,” declared Major General Sultani Makenga, Military Coordinator of the AFC-M23.

A rise in power at the heart of the war in the east

According to AFC-M23 officials, these trained elements are now integrated into the ARC and are expected to actively contribute to what the movement calls the “liberation of the country.” General Makenga emphasized the discipline and commitment of the new soldiers, who are present as guarantors of military progress intended to challenge Kinshasa’s authorities.

This presentation comes as multilateral peace negotiations, conducted notably in Doha and Washington, are struggling to bring about a lasting ceasefire on the ground, despite public commitments from the parties to the conflict.

A conflict that remains extremely violent on the ground

The training of new fighters by the AFC-M23 confirms that the conflict in eastern DRC is not confined to political negotiations alone. On the ground, clashes between armed groups, government forces, and local militias continue to fuel instability.

Political and military implications

The integration of more than 7,500 soldiers trained in the midst of a security crisis raises several questions :

Military : The AFC-M23 is strengthening its operational capabilities at a time when the Congolese army (FARDC) and its allies, including local militias known as “wazalendo,” are attempting to stabilize certain areas while suffering occasional tactical setbacks.

Political : This move comes as the central government is holding international diplomatic consultations while simultaneously addressing strong domestic expectations for security and lasting peace.

Humanitarian : The continuation of large-scale military activities contributes to a persistent climate of insecurity, directly impacting civilians facing displacement, famine, and intercommunity violence.

Reactivated in 2021, the M23, composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis, is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). The coalition advocates for a federal state in the DRC. The exact number of M23 rebels is unknown, but some analysts estimate it at over 20,000 fighters currently. The DRC accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda denounces the alleged support of the DRC and Burundi for the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group implicated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Despite repeated denials from Rwanda, a report by the UN Group of Experts confirmed in 2025 the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 rebels. Burundi, for its part, deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern Congo between August 2022 and December 2025 to support the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Wazalendo militias, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior consulted by SOS Médias Burundi in December 2025.

The coalition currently controls several strategic areas in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, as well as the Rubaya mining site in Masisi (North Kivu), one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, supplying the electronics and new technology industries.

On the ground, clashes continue despite the Washington agreement signed on December 4, 2025 between the DRC and Rwanda, pushing thousands of families to flee to neighboring countries in the sub-region, where Burundi had taken part as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye.