GOMA, DR Congo – The leadership of the AFC-M23 rebel movement has warned Congolese President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi that any renewed military offensive against them will be met with retaliation “at the source,” directly targeting him.

The warning was issued on September 1, 2025, in Goma by M23 coordinator Corneille Naanga and his deputy, Bertrand Bisimwa. The two accused Kinshasa of undermining peace efforts brokered in Doha, Qatar, last month, which had called for a ceasefire, the release of M23 prisoners of war, and direct dialogue between the government and the rebels.

Instead, they said, government forces and their allies—including FARDC, Burundian troops, the FDLR militia, Wazalendo fighters, and Imbonerakure youth—have launched fresh offensives since mid-July, capturing Minembwe and Lwinja and pressing toward Walungu, Bukavu, Masisi, and even Goma. M23 claims Kinshasa has deployed fighter jets, drones, and more than 30,000 troops against them.

“Tshisekedi has refused to return to the negotiating table, while M23 has consistently chosen peace,” Naanga told reporters. “But if he launches another attack, especially with genocidaires, we will strike him at the source. That will be the end of his aggression.”

Bisimwa added that if the president violates the ceasefire again, M23 will only return to Doha to negotiate with “a different Congolese head of state.”

The rebels accused Tshisekedi of deceit, corruption, and fueling ethnic divisions, alleging that prisons in Kinshasa are filled with Swahili-speaking Congolese from the Kivu provinces.

They contrasted this with areas under their control, particularly Goma, where they claim to have restored basic services such as water and electricity, strengthened local administration, and improved security. According to M23, residents now walk safely at night, justice and health systems have been established, and the new school year officially opened on September 1.