Congo's ex-President Kabila launches an anti-government front including M23 rebels

GOMA, Congo -- Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Monday launched a new political and military coalition of groups opposed to the current government, including the M23 rebels who have captured wide swaths of territory in eastern Congo.Kabila's new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, includes rebel groups formerly united under the Congo River Alliance, whose former leader Corneille Nangaa will serve as one of the new coalition's four vice presidents. Coalition adviser Claude Ibalanky said at a news conference late Monday at Kabila's residence in the eastern city of Goma that the FRN's mission is to restore the pillars of a functioning republic. It aims to “unite and coordinate all resistance forces in order to put an end to tyranny — by any means necessary, including the use of force,” Ibalanky said. “The signatories have decided to pool their forces, resources, and means to create a framework for action through which all Congolese people, acting in unison, will undertake the task of liberating their country,” Ibalanky said.President Felix Tshisekedi's government gave no immediate reaction to the announcement, which is seen as a major challenge to Tshisekedi's...