Rebels in the DR Congo have started to recruit traditional chiefs and other officials in occupied areas
The coalition of rebels installed Muhindo Mushiwanja as the new customary chief of Iremya, in the Ikobo grouping of Walikale territory, mapped within North Kivu, during a traditional ceremony held in Kateku area.
Black News 
The coalition between the Congo River Alliance and March 23 rebel groups has moved beyond the Battlefield and started to recruit officials across captured territories.
Nearly 20 such officials have been appointed so far in the rebel occupied province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Congo River Alliance and March 23 (AFC/M23) coalition has recruited 18 officials across South Kivu province; including territorial administrators, deputy administrators, mayors, deputy mayors, a city chief, and a deputy city chief.
The appointments signal a deliberate shift in the rebel group’s strategy: rather than focusing solely on military expansion, the AFC/M23 rebel coalition is now building a structured civilian administration in the areas it controls; a hallmark of a movement positioning itself as a parallel governing authority.
Meanwhile, after more than a year of occupation, AFC/M23 installed a traditional chief in the Iremya region amid protests from locals.
The coalition of rebels installed Muhindo Mushiwanja as the new customary chief of Iremya, in the Ikobo grouping of Walikale territory, mapped within North Kivu, during a traditional ceremony held in Kateku area.
The move, according to local sources, reflects the rebel coalition group’s continued effort to consolidate a parallel administrative structure in areas under its control.
Chief Mushiwanja now gets to replace Karinda Théoneste, who was killed by the Wazalendo fighters just 48 hours after his appointment.
The gradual rollout of this parallel governance system across the zones held by AFC/M23 has drawn growing opposition from local customary leaders and state authorities.
Changes of guard in Ituri Province
In yet another development, Major General Kasongo Mulumba Batoka Gaby has been appointed military governor of Ituri Province, replacing General Luboya Kashama in the role.
Ituri, located in eastern DR Congo, remains under military administration amid persistent insecurity that has long plagued the region.
The leadership change signals a continued reliance on military governance as authorities struggle to stabilize one of the country’s most volatile provinces.
