Suited and booted: How Joseph Kabila went from president to rebel leader

Joseph Kabila was a commander in the rebel alliance that brought his father to power in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997, went on to succeed him as president and now, at the age of 55, he is a rebel leader once again.

In an even stranger twist, the man he has sworn to topple is the very man he handed power to after 18 years at the helm, and with whom he had formed a coalition government after stepping down. While one of the rebel groups he had fought against as president is part of his new alliance.

His career reflects the ever-shifting nature of politics in DR Congo, where alliances are ephemeral, with the use of force a constant threat.

When Kabila was named leader of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), earlier this month, it confirmed what many Congolese had long believed – that the former president was working with the M23 rebels, who last year seized much of eastern DR Congo, including the region's main cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Nevertheless, the confirmation sent shockwaves through DR Congo – a vast country two-thirds the size of western Europe, with huge deposits of gold, diamonds and even more importantly minerals used to make everything from the mobile phones to batteries for electric vehicles.

For Kabila, the alliance offers a possible route back to the power he had lost.

For the M23 rebels, his involvement brings the experience and networks of a former head of state to a movement whose military advances have yet to translate into broad national legitimacy.

But it is far from certain that they can achieve their stated goal of ousting President Félix Tshisekedi.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)