M23 leader, Bertrand Bisimwa, has firmly ruled out any possibility of his fighters being integrated into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national army, FARDC, arguing that the force is “defeated” and incapable of reform.
He said the rebel movement has instead chosen to establish what he calls a new, professional national force for the DRC.
Bisimwa was responding to Information Minister of Communication and Media of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrick Muyaya, who earlier reiterated that the government would never consider reintegrating M23 into FARDC.
“We have repeated it many times, and we reaffirm it at the negotiation table: integration whether through brassage into a defeated army is not our path. We have chosen to build and lead a new national army for the DRC,” Bisimwa said in a statement.
His comments come as tensions rise between Kinshasa and the rebel group, whose political leadership has increasingly demanded changes in governance and national security management.
By openly rejecting a return to FARDC, M23 is signaling its intention to strengthen its own military and administrative structures in territories under its control an escalation that raises fears of parallel governance or a future breakaway authority.
While Kinshasa is expected to view Bisimwa’s remarks as renewed defiance of state authority, analysts say the statement underscores the deep structural disagreements that must be addressed for any peace talks to succeed.
M23 accuses the government of persistent marginalization, failure to implement past agreements, and attempts to reintegrate its fighters into what it describes as an undisciplined and directionless army, offering no path toward long-term stability.
