Tensions within the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) continue to escalate as military and political leaders clash over expansion strategies and resource allocation, according to a new United Nations expert report.

The document, submitted to the UN Security Council and obtained by this publication, reveals that while General Sultani Makenga retains overall military command, his leadership faces growing opposition both within the movement and from Rwandan authorities.

Political figures including Corneille Nangaa, former head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), and Joseph Kabila maintain influence within the AFC/M23. The report confirms that military and political leaders continue receiving support and directives from Rwandan government agencies.

Beyond leadership disputes, the UN experts highlight persistent divisions between AFC/M23’s political and military wings regarding territorial ambitions and resource management.

«While prominent political figures like Messrs Nangaa and Kabila pursued ambitions to seize power in Kinshasa, most M23 military leaders opposed expansion beyond North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Internal conflicts also surfaced regarding resource access and distribution, with allegations of preferential treatment for Tutsi officers and combatants,» the UN report states.

The occupied territories have been divided into three «defense zones,» each under different commanders: General Baudoin Ngaruye (Nyiragongo, Rutshuru, Lubero), Brigadier General Justin Gacheri Musanga (Masisi, Walikale), and General Innocent Byamungu (South Kivu).

The report estimates AFC/M23’s combat strength at approximately 30,000 fighters, comprising former National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) members, historical M23 fighters, recent recruits from the diaspora and Rwandan refugee camps, and defectors from Congolese security forces.

«This force includes thousands of recent graduates from FARDC, National Police, and Wazalendo units who either defected or volunteered after Goma’s fall, alongside local defense forces and newly established police units,» the experts noted.

This latest UN report emerges amid deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in eastern DRC, despite the Washington Agreement and ongoing evaluation meetings. Persistent tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali continue complicating the agreement’s implementation one year after its ministerial signing. The Doha process under Qatari mediation has similarly failed to bridge key divides, with the Montreux phase in Switzerland producing minimal results. Unmet commitments and shifting Middle Eastern priorities have further stalled peace efforts.