# After Taking Goma and Bukavu, AFC/M23 Rebels Build Parallel Administration in Eastern DRC

*Friday, September 4, 2026 at 6:20 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-04T06:20:29.005Z (3h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Africa
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/16825.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Following their 2025 capture of Goma and Bukavu, the AFC/M23 coalition is setting up a parallel administration in areas under its control in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are moving from battlefield gains to parallel governance, consolidating control over key cities and surrounding areas by creating their own administrative structures.

According to The Africa Report, the AFC/M23 rebel coalition has been building a parallel administration in zones under its control since it seized Goma in January 2025 and Bukavu in February 2025. The reporting says this structure includes appointments, indicating an effort to formalize authority beyond purely military command.

By installing their own officials, the rebels are taking on functions typically associated with the state, such as local oversight and basic governance. This makes it harder for the central government in Kinshasa to reassert control, even if territory changes hands, because local institutions and loyalties may continue to answer to the rebel apparatus.

The affected region is strategically important. Eastern DRC is rich in minerals and borders several neighboring states, making control over its cities and administrative systems a source of both political and economic influence.

For civilians, a parallel administration can alter daily life, from who collects taxes to who is responsible for security. It may bring a degree of order in areas where state services have been weak, but it also entrenches the authority of an armed group outside formal national structures.

Signals to watch include the scope of AFC/M23 appointments reported by local and regional media, any visible attempts by the coalition to issue regulations or collect revenues, and Kinshasa’s response in terms of diplomacy, governance initiatives and military planning. Reactions from neighboring countries and regional organizations will also indicate how seriously this emerging system of rebel rule is being taken beyond Congo’s borders.