The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced a $5 million reward for anyone who assists in capturing senior leaders of the AFC/M23 coalition, which controls large areas in the eastern part of the country.
In an official statement released on March 7, 2025, by Justice Minister Constant Mutamba, the Congolese government declared that the most wanted figures include AFC leader Corneille Nangaa, M23 chairman Bertrand Bisimwa, and M23 military chief Major General Sultani Makenga.
Minister Mutamba also indicated that the DRC is seeking “accomplices” of AFC/M23, including Perrot Luwara and Irenge Baelenge, among others, offering an additional $4 million bounty for their capture.
Nangaa, Bisimwa, Makenga, and other AFC/M23 officials were tried in absentia by a military court in Kinshasa and sentenced to death in October 2024 after being convicted of treason and war crimes.
Following the verdict, Nangaa dismissed the ruling, mocking the Congolese authorities and suggesting that the death sentence reflected the government’s fear of AFC/M23 fighters.
“When a regime begins to panic, it realizes its end is near. This so-called trial and its ridiculous verdict are nothing but a sign of a government in distress, desperately clinging to power,” Nangaa stated.
Despite the DRC government’s claims that Nangaa and Bisimwa are at large, the two leaders assert that they remain in the eastern region of the country, particularly in the cities of Goma (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu). Makenga is also believed to be residing in North Kivu.
